The Stanley Family

Transcription

The Stanley Family

The Stanley Family
OF
MEIGS AND RHEA COUNTIES TENNESSEE
Researched and Written by Paul S. Puente, Reinach, Switzerland
Preface
This paper is part of an ongoing effort to document the lives of the principal ancestors of
the Puente and Stanley families in the United States. We will attempt to describe the lives
of the descendants of Jonathan Stanley who is the earliest known ancestor in the Stanley
family from Meigs and Rhea Counties, Tennessee.
Jonathan Stanley
Jonathan Stanley, my great great grandfather, was born sometime between 1796 and
1800 and his death occurred before 1836. There is strong evidence that he came from
Franklin County, Virginia where he married his wife Nancy Martin, and then moved to
Kentucky for a brief period, and finally on to Tennessee. The data supporting this
contention will be shown later in this document.
One of the primary pieces of evidence demonstrating him as my ancestor are documents
that a cousin, John Paul Stanley of Knoxville, Tennessee found in an old saddle bag that
had been handed down through 4 generations. Two of these documents are land grants
that were issued to Jonathan Stanley in 1825 and 1826. I have yet to receive complete
readable copies of these grant documents from John, but on one of them I have been able
to read some of the information,
The State of Tennessee, No. 288, Know Ye, that in consideration of (….) entry made in
the entry taker’s office of the Hiwassee District of No. 2685 date the 16th day of May
1826 by Jonathan Stanley as (……………..) there is granted by the said State of
Tennessee to the said Jonathan Stanley containing one hundred and sixty acres lying
in the County of Rhea in said District situate in the fourth Range (………………………….)
(end of copy, but a better copy would reveal the remainder of the document).
According to John Paul, the first grant was labeled #287 in the Hiwassee District made in
the entry takers office of no. 2136 containing 160 acres March 26, 1825 and the one cited
above was #288 Hiwassee district of entry takers office no, 2685 on May 16, 1826 also
containing 160 acres. Granted by William Carroll Governor of Tennessee on the first grant.
The fact that these documents were handed down from one generation to another is a
strong indication that the person, Jonathan Stanley, named in the land grants was indeed
our great-great grandfather. Later on in this document we will show the present day
location of these grants.
Copyright © 2012 by Paul S. Puente, all rights reserved.
Page 2 of 69
Jonathan appears on the Rhea County tax list for 1826. He was a member of Captain
Powell’s Company and paid one WP (white poll)1. Captain Powell was the elected leader
of a militia of 64 white men from Rhea County. While militias were formed for local
security and defensive purposes they also performed certain civic administrative
functions, such as the collection of taxes. The poll tax was a capitation tax, i.e., a tax on a
person rather than on land or income. Generally, all men between the ages of 21 and 60
were taxed as well as any male slaves they might own. The age range and other factors
varied slightly from county to county. In 1826 Jonathan was one of 58 men who paid one
poll tax, meaning that 6 men were over 60 and did not pay the tax. In addition there were
30 slave or black tolls (BP) paid in that year. The list shows that Jonathan did not own a
slave, but his father-in-law who was in the same company did.
To understand the early beginnings of the family in Rhea county as well as the location of
their land grants, it is necessary to describe the Hiwassee District, referred to in the land
grants, in a bit more detail. The Hiwassee District was part of the land occupied by the
Cherokee Indian nation and was ceded to the United States in various treaties from 1817
to 1819. The map shown here outlines the Hiwassee District (103) from that time period.
The river running along its western edge is the Tennessee, to the north is the Little
Tennessee River and along its southern border is the Hiwassee River. Much has been
1
Early tax lists of Tennessee, microfilm, 12 rolls, The Tennessee State Libarary and Archives, Nashville,
Tennessee.
Page 3 of 69
written about this land, how the Cherokees were duped into selling their land, how they
were forcibly removed from the land and moved to the reservations in Oklahoma. That
history will not be repeated here, but the reader is encouraged to study these events to
fully understand what was happening at the time the Stanley family moved to this land
and began a new life there.
On the left bank is the town of Washington, the first county seat of Rhea County which
was formed in 1807. In 1889 the county seat was moved to Dayton. On the east side of
the river is Decatur, the present day county seat of Meigs County. The Hiwassee District at
the time of the land grants encompassed the present day counties of Meigs, Blount,
Roane, McMinn, and Monroe. More information about the development of Rhea county
from its early beginnings to the current day is described in Appendix 4.
It is likely that the land grants referred to earlier were fairly close to the Tennessee River
in Meigs County since that is where the richest farming land was found. Later in this
document we will see that 320 acres of land in the Big Spring community was deeded in
1852 to John L. Stanley, a son of Jonathan. It is likely that this 320 acre parcel and the 2
land grants of 160 acres each are one in the same, however, this has not been proven
conclusively.
Besides the land grants and the tax list of 1826, another piece of actual evidence of
Jonathan’s existence is found in the 1830 United States Federal Census of Rhea County,
Tennessee. Page 369 of the census shows the following:
Stanley, Jonathan
11001-2001
The numbers are in columns which can be read as follows:
1 male under 5 years old,
1 male 5 and under 10,
2 females under 5 years old,
1 female 15 and under twenty.
Other documents indicate that one of Jonathan’s sons, John L. Stanley was born about
1828 and he should be the 1 male child under 5 years old in this census. The older son,
Elkanah (Alkanah) would have been the male child between 5 and 10. Since all members
of a family were listed in the 1830 census then Jonathan himself would have been the one
male in the 20 – 30 age range. If the census is accurate then the earliest birth year for
Jonathan would be 1800. The census further shows 2 females in the under 5 years of age
group and one in the 15 – 20 column. The one female in the 15 - 20 column must be
Jonathan’s wife but one would expect to see her in the 20 to 30 grouping. It is possible
that the census taker entered her in the wrong age group or that his wife was very young
when they married. We will see later on in this document that In the 1850 census of
Page 4 of 69
Meigs County, Jonathan’s wife, Nancy is shown as 50 years old, therefore the 1830 census
category for her is undoubtedly incorrect.
It is important to remember that Meigs County was not formed until 1836 so Rhea county
did extend across the Tennessee River into the Hiwassee District. No other Stanley family
has ever been found in any of the surrounding counties in 1830. However, one reference
has been found in court documents about a single individual with the Stanley surname:
Rhea County Court minutes 1829-34 Edited and transcribed by Bettye Broyles
p. 249 John Locke, Circuit Court Clerk, allowed $28.43 1/2 for payment of costs in case
of state against Spills B. Dyer, and State against William Stanley.
This entry in the court minutes is intriguing because one of the leads I am tracking in
Virginia indicates that Jonathan's father may have been a William Stanley. More about
that later in this paper.
Nancy Stanley Martin
Several sources prove that Nancy Martin was the wife of Jonathan. In the 1840 Federal
census there is no male Stanley living in Rhea County, however, there is a Nancy Stanly
(sic) in the 1840 census of Meigs County as the head of household. By this time Meigs
county had formed (1836) and Nancy was listed in the first census of that county.
Another tax record from 1836 shows that Nancy Stanley owed $0.60 in county tax and
$0.30 in state tax on 320 acres valued at $400. It appears that property tax had been
introduced by this year and quite possibly replaced the old poll tax. This document is
important for two reasons. It verifies the 320 acres of land Jonathan had purchased in the
land grants and secondly, it can be concluded that Jonathan has died by this date. If he
were still alive he would have been listed as the owner of the property rather than his
wife.
We have never found the gravesite of Jonathan but it is likely that it should be close to, or
on the land where he lived. Further investigation of this land needs to be undertaken to
see if the burial location of Jonathan can be found.
We can only speculate about the cause of death of a man so young. Cholera, smallpox,
and yellow fever were prevalent in Tennessee in the 1830s and Jonathan may have
succumbed to one of these diseases. It is unlikely that he left the family because the land
deed that was executed in later years includes the phrase “the estate of Jonathan
Stanley”. Therefore it can be concluded that he in fact died. The 1840 census listing is
shown as follows:
Page 5 of 69
Nancy Stanly 0011-0122001
No males under 5,
no males 5 and under 10,
1 male 15 and under 20.
This matches the age range of the two younger male members in the 1830 census
perfectly.
After the hyphen in the listing, it shows:
No females under 5,
1 female 5 and under 10,
2 females 10 and under 15,
2 females 15 and under 20,
1 in the 40 and under 50 age group.
Summarizing this census, we have two sons and five daughters living with Nancy in 1840.
Moving forward 10 years in time we finally learn the names of some of the children in the
1850 Federal census of Meigs county. The census was taken on 15 September 1850 and
Nancy is listed as the head of the household and was recorded in the census as: house
#171 and family #171.
Nancy Stanly
Alkanah
Lucinda
John L.
Nancy C.
50
29
22
20
19
F
M
F
M
F
1000
Farmer
Virginia
Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee
TN
Farmer
Now, we can calculate some approximate birth years:
Nancy
Alkanah
Lucinda
John L.
Nancy C.
50 years
29 years
22 years
20 years
19 years
1800
1821
1828
1830
1831
In addition, we now know that Nancy was born in Virginia whereas the children shown
above were born in Tennessee as stated in the last column of the census. Also described
in the census is the dollar value of her assets. She indicated they were worth $1,000, most
probably a very rough estimate since most people were uneducated, illiterate and didn’t
Page 6 of 69
know how to value assets. ($1.00 in 1850 equals $25.82 in 2008 using the CPI as the
inflator).
Other census documents show that Jonathan and his wife were both born in Virginia and
even though all census data is self-reported there are letters and law suit documents that
suggests that they were indeed from Virginia, and most probably, Franklin County,
Virginia. This census is important for another reason. From it we can conclude that
Jonathan died between 1830 (when Nancy would have been pregnant with their last
child) and 1836 when she was shown on a tax list2 of Meigs County as the owner of the
320 acres of land.
This census shows only two (Lucinda and Nancy C.) of the 5 daughters living at home with
their mother. Another daughter, Susannah (Susan) was married on 23 December 1850.
From the Meigs County Marriages 1838 to 1850 we find this entry:
ISOM, Jonathon
STANLEY, Susan
23 Dec 1850
Source: Meigs County Marriages 1850 – 1900
Susan (Susannah) Stanley is most certainly a part of this family because she and her
husband are mentioned in a land transfer deed. Although the census was conducted in
September 1850 she was not shown in the household of Nancy. Either Nancy chose not to
include her or she was already with her husband to-be on his farm.
The fourth daughter is Mary Jane Stanley and she was already married to Sanford Askins
(Adkins) at the time of the census in 1850. Again, proof of this is shown in the land
transfer deed where she is mentioned as “Mary Jane Stanley, wife of Sanford Askins”. The
1850 census also shows:
161 161 Sanford ASKINS
22
F
"
farmer TN
Mary Jane
22
F
"
TN
I believe the fifth daughter to be Lydia Ann Stanley who is also mentioned in the land
transfer deed as being the wife of William Childers. The following is a listing from the
Meigs County Marriages 1838 to 1850.
CHILDRESS, William M.
STANLEY, Lidia Ann
02 Nov 1841
2
1836 Meigs County, Tennessee, Early Tax List Records 1783 - 1895 tax valuation for the year 1836
Page 7 of 69
There are no Childress (Childers) families listed in the Meigs County 1850 census,
however, there is a Childers (no first name) in Rhea County in the index of the 1850
census.
Summarizing the above data from the 1840 and 1850 census, we have the following ages
for the females in the family:
1840 Census
Age Group
under 5
5 and under 10
10 and under 15
Number
0
1
2
15 and under 20
2
20 and under 30
30 and under 40
40 and under 50
0
0
1
Est. Age
9
12
12
15
17-18*
40
1850 Census
Name
Nancy C.
Lucinda
Mary Jane
Susannah
Lydia Ann
Nancy
Reported Age
19
22
22
25
27-28*
50
* Lydia Ann was married in 1841 and assuming she was about 17 or 18 when she married,
she would then be about 27 or 28 in 1850 which would make her the oldest daughter. It is
also likely that she was born in Virginia before Jonathan and Nancy moved to Rhea
County. Since the 1830 and 1840 census did not have family members listed she may have
been younger when she was married.
A gravesite for Nancy has not been found nor has it been determined what happened to
her after her children married and left home. Her youngest, Nancy C. was married in 1853.
She was still alive in April, 1854 since she was involved in a law suit contesting the will of
her father, John Martin. Although unlikely, it is possible that she remarried and moved
away from Meigs County.
Land Transfer Deed
Before further discussing the children of Jonathan and Nancy it is necessary to look at a
land transfer deed, the original of which is in the possession of my cousin. The deed
drawn up by Jonathan and Susannah Isom sets forth the sale of their interest in a piece of
land to John L. Stanley in 1852. The deed of conveyance is dated March 4, 1852.
…………. deceased one Elkana Stanley, Lydia Ann Stanley now wife of William Childers,
Susannah Stanley now wife of Jonathan Isom, Mary Jane Stanley wife of Sanford
Askins, Lucinda Stanley, John S. Stanley, and Nancy Stanley have derived the right(…..)
to equal and undivided interest in and to a tract of land, (in the State of Tennessee?)
Page 8 of 69
Meigs County and District No. 2 of said county, containing 320 acres and known as
the Northeast and Northwest quarters of Section Six Fractional Township Three, range
four west of the meridian Highawasse District. Now, we Jonathan Isom and Susannah
Isom formerly Susannah Stanley have bargained and sold and do hereby bargain,
transfer, and convey all the interest we now have or may hereby have or may
hereafter by heirship in and to the above described tract or (...................) of land to
John L. Stanley, one of the heirs named above for the consideration of seventy dollars
to as .......................
From this document we learn the following. The alternative spellings of the names were
found in other documents.







Elkana (Alkanah) has died by this date;
Lydia Ann is married to William Childers (Childress, Childres);
Susannah is married to Jonathan Isom (Isham, Isam);
Mary Jane is married to Sanford Askins (Adkins);
Lucinda, John S. (L.) and Nancy are all shown without spouses;
This document is a land transfer deed drawn up by Jonathan Isom and his wife
Susannah Stanley to sell their interest in the land to Susannah’s brother, John L.
Stanley for $70.00.
The exact location of the family land. The description of it will be used later in this
document to plot it on a current day map.
Now, using the information from this land deed document and additional data from the
1850 census we can conclude the following:

If the 1850 census information is correct, Mary Jane was born in 1828 and she was
already married to Sanford Askins in 1850 and therefore not shown in her
mother’s census. Does this make her a twin of Lucinda or was one born early in the
year and the other late in the year or the birth year is off by one year for either of
them?.
However, this land deed document raises the following issues. Since the first page of this
deed has not been obtained as yet, some of this data and/or the tentative conclusions
drawn here may be in error.


Is this the same 320 acres that Jonathan Stanley bought in 1825 and 1826? It is
reasonable to conclude that it is but we can’t be certain without additional
documentation.
Had Jonathan Isom and Susannah purchased other land on which to live and work
and therefore sold their interest in this 320 acres to John L. In 1860. The census of
Meigs county shows Jonathan and Susannah living in the Goodfield community
Page 9 of 69

(District 3), northeast of the Big Spring (District 2) community where the land was
located. (see map below)
 However, why was it that
Jonathan and Susannah
were in possession of the
land in the first place? If
this was land that Jonathan
Isom purchased himself at
an earlier date then it was
certainly not the same 320
acres
purchased
by
Jonathan Stanley in 1825
and 1826.
 If this was the land that
Jonathan Stanley bought
and he was dead by the
date of this transaction,
why wasn’t the land in the
name of Nancy, the usual heir?
If it was left to Nancy by Jonathan Stanley, did Nancy then deed the land to
Susannah and her husband or did Jonathan Stanley leave it to Elkanah or Susannah
in his will?
We do know from the 1850 U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedule which is an
additional form completed by the head of the household who is engaged in agriculture
that Nancy owned 320 acres of land. Only 33 acres were “improved”, i.e., used for farming
and the remainder of 287 acres was classified as “unimproved”. She indicated the value of
the land in total was $1,000, about average for the farms in the area. In addition, she had
4 horses, 3 milk cows, 7 other cattle, 5 sheep, and 25 swine. The total value of the live
stock she estimated at $200.00.
Additional research will be needed to answer these questions.
Also in the 1850 census living two farms away from Nancy Stanley is Stephen J. Godsey
with his family at house #173. On the map is a house labeled W.C. Godsey – this is William
C. Godsey who settled here earlier in the century. Stephen undoubtedly inherited the
house from his father. I have included this family here for two reasons. First to show the
proximity of the Godsey house to Nancy’s home in 1850, and secondly, there is also a
write-up of the Godsey family that was published in the History of Meigs Co., TN
Biographies from The Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1887. It gives a bit of flavor of the life in
those days. [See the Appendix 1 for this biography.]
Page 10 of 69
CHILDREN OF JONATHAN AND NANCY STANLEY
Elkanah Stanley
Elkanah (Alkanah), also known as Cain was the oldest of the 6 children of Jonathan and
Nancy Stanley. He was born about 1821 in Tennessee judging from his age in the 1850
census and died between 15 September 1850 and early 1852 around the age of 29.
We know from the land transfer deed that he was deceased by March 4, 1852 and yet he
was still alive on February 11, 1849 because the following pension office document with
that date was found in the saddle bag.
According to my cousin, our grandfather told him the story that Cain used this bag in the
Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848. He also said that after Cain’s term of enlistment
in the war was completed he walked back to Tennessee from Texas and had to shoot and
eat crows in order to survive on this journey.
You are herby notified that your claim under the 9th section of the act of February 11,
1847, allowing country land or scrip, at the option of the claimant, has been allowed,
and the commissioner of the general Land office has been duly notified thereof. We
will give you further information on the subject in due time. I am, respectfully your
obedient servant, J. L. EDWARDS commissioner of pensions. # 45575.
After reading this document I have wondered if Elkanah accepted scrip (money) or land as
his pension compensation. If he did accept the option of land, could this 320 acres be land
that he left to Susannah when he knew he was dying. Perhaps John Paul has another
document that can shed some light on this issue.
No evidence has been found to suggest that Elkanah was ever married. There is no listing
for him in the Marriage List of Meigs County 1838 to 1850.
Lydia Ann Stanley and William M. Childress
Lydia Ann was the oldest of the daughters. The only known references to Lydia Ann are in
the land deed and her marriage to William M. Childress (sp. in deed is Childers). No
Childress or Childers family has been found in the 1830, 1840 or 1870 Federal census of
either Rhea or Meigs counties. There is one Childers in Rhea county in 1850. Extensive
searching of the four counties surrounding Meigs County did not find either William or
Lydia Ann. it is likely that they were living elsewhere during the 1850 census however, no
William and Lydia Ann Childress or other name variants have been found in census in any
other states.
Page 11 of 69
However, in the 1880 census, District 8, Decatur, Tennessee there is a Wm. Childers living
with his family. He reported his birth year as 1843. Since William and Lydia Ann were
married in 1841, this could be their son.
Susannah Stanley and Jonathon Isom
Susannah, also known as Susan was the second oldest of the girls in the family and was
born in Tennessee on 04 May 1825 and died on 12 September 1890 at the age of 65.
These dates are from her tombstone at the Goodfield Methodist Church Cemetery,
Decatur, Meigs County, Tennessee where she and her husband are buried. Susannah
married Jonathan Isom on 23 December 1850. The following is their marriage record:
ISOM, Jonathon
STANLEY, Susan
23 Dec 1850
Jonathan Isom
Jonathan Isom was born on 09 July 1827 and died 18 May 1908 at the age of 80. It is not
known whether he remarried after the death of Susannah, but it is doubtful. Jonathan
first shows up in the 1850 census of Meigs County where he is living with his mother,
sister, and brother. The family was probably larger and if so, the older children have left
home and it appears that Jonathan’s father has died since Judy is the head of the
household.
350 Judy ISAM
Jonathan
Angelina S
Charles S
23
14
10
65
M
F
M
F
TN
TN
TN
VA
It is also likely that both Jonathan and Susannah were illiterate since they signed the land
deed with their “marks”. In the 1860 Meigs County census, there is an “I” in the last
column next to Susannah’s name, meaning she was illiterate, however no such notation is
found next to Jonathan’s listing.
The 1860 census of Meigs County is shown here:
P040-08 ISUM - Post Office Goodfield, Tenn., 3rd Civil District,June 30, 1860- 281/ 281
Jonathan
32
M
W
Farmer
969 Tn
Susannah
34
F
W
House Keeper
Tn
I
John H.
1
M
W
Tn
The 1880 census of Meigs county shows them in District 3 (shown below)
Page 12 of 69
According to a biography (#271) in the History of Meigs County and Its People 1836 –
1997, Jonathan and Susannah had one son John H. Isham (1858 - 1884). This has been
confirmed by the 1880 census. His wife was Sallie A. Elder. Jonathan and Susannah are
shown in the cemetery book of Meigs County as being buried in Goodfield Methodist
Church Cemetery. In addition, there is the following entry in the cemetery book under
Isom:
John H., 1858 - 8/26/1884, 26 yrs 2 dys, [s/o J. & S.] [ m.12/29/1881];
Sallie A. [Elder], 11/9/1862 - 3/19/1930, w/o J.H." p. 63
[s/o J & S] reads as “son of J & S” or Jonathan and Susannah. This indicates that their son’s
name was John H., born in 1858 and died at age 26 years and 2 days. It appears from this
listing that he died on 26 August 1884 a little over 2 years after he married Sallie A. Elder
on 29 December 1881. It is not known whether Jonathan and Susannah had any other
children. There is a Ronnie and Linda Isom living in Decatur today. 352 Howard Rd,
Decatur, TN 37322, (423) 334-5171. They could be descendants.
Lucinda Stanley
Very little is known about this child except that she was 22 years old in the 1850 census
and was mentioned in the land deed. She does not appear in any of the marriage or death
records of Rhea and Meigs counties or in any census after 1850.
Mary Jane Stanley and Sanford Askins
Mary Jane is also listed as an heir in the land deed and was referred to as Mary Jane
Askins. She was born about 1828 and at the time of the 1850 census she was 22 years old
and married to Sanford Askins on 29 January 1850 in Meigs County. Sanford was born in
July 1826 in Georgia. His father, Henry Askins was from North Carolina and his mother,
Nancy Pryor was born in Tennessee. By 1840 Henry and his family were living in Meigs
County where Sanford grew up with Mary Jane since they only lived a short distance from
each other. Mary Jane was living with her mother in house # 161 in the 1850 Meigs census
and 10 farms away was the Askins family.
Their first child who they named Jehu was born in July 1853 in Meigs County. It is a
somewhat unusual name but not uncommon during this time. Jehu was a king of Israel
who lived in the 9th century BC. Sometime after the birth of Jehu Sanford and his family
moved to Arkansas where their second child, Martha was born in about 1856. Mary Jane
apparently died sometime between the birth of Martha and 1859 when Sanford married
for a second time on 12 June of that year. His new wife, Ellender King was born in May
1836 in Tennessee. Sanford’s two children he had with Mary Jane were living with him
and Ellender in 1860 in White River, Independence County, Arkansas. Ellender had just
Page 13 of 69
given birth to their first child, Mary who was 4 months old at the time of the census. They
would have 5 children together, two were born in Illinois when they moved there for
about four years and the final one in Arkansas after they moved back. Sanford died in
1906 and Ellender in 1921. Both are buried in Lone Pine Cemetery in Clarksville, Johnson
County, Arkansas.
Left to right: John Wilkins Askins, Ida Askins, Ellender Askins, Jehu Askins, Will Askins & Sanford Askins on
the far right hand side.
Jehu Askins and Martha Askins
Little is known about Martha after 1860 however, further research is pending as of the
date of this paper.
Jehu was married to July (probably Julie) Ann Green on 4 April 1875 in Johnson County,
Arkansas and their first child, Anna was born in April 1876. It is believed that July Ann died
because Jehu married Ida A Gillmore on 3 March 1878 also in John County. Ida was born
in 1857 in Mississippi and would have 5 boys with Jehu from 1879 to 1891.
Page 14 of 69
Nancy C. Stanley and Asheal Shamblin
Nancy was born about 1831 and is the last child of Jonathan and Nancy. She is not listed in
the heirs of Jonathan Stanley in the land deed; perhaps she was not of age to qualify.
However, she does appear in the 1850 Meigs County census living with her mother,
Alkana, Lucinda, and John. She married Asheal Shamblin on 9 January 18533. In 1850
Asheal was living with his parents at house #191, about 20 farms away from the Stanleys.
Other researchers have stated that they went to Arkansas but no documentation has
been found to substantiate this assumption.
191 191 George SHAMLIN
50 M
NC
Sarah
50 F
NC
Arnold P
27 M
TN
Asheal? C
25 M
TN
Sarah A
16 F White
TN
192 192 A B SHAMBLIN
29 M
TN
Eliza Jane
17 F
TN
John L. Stanley
My great grandfather John L. Stanley was born about 1830 in Tennessee. His death date is
not known, but based on family documents it was between March 1882 and November
1889. He is buried in the Old Garrison Cemetery on Garrison Road, Rhea County,
Tennessee. There are 7 other unmarked graves, only small flat stones near John L.
Stanley's marker. These are presumed to be related in some way to John. His tombstone
reads as follows:
Corporal
Jno. Stanley
Co. L
9th Tenn. Cav.
This type of tombstone was given to families of soldiers who fought in the Civil War. There
are no birth or death dates on the stone. From a number of documents regarding his
pension, pay and discharge from the military we know that he fought with the 9th
Regiment of the Tennessee Calvary in the Union Army from 1 September 1863 to 11
3
Meigs County Marriages 1850 – 1900, transcribed by the Meigs County Historical Society.
Page 15 of 69
September 1865. He was mustered out in Knoxville, TN. On the muster-out roll he was
shown as 35 years confirming his birth year as 1830. His muster-out pay was $12.54 and
“bounty paid $25.00, due $75.00”.
[The act of July 17, 1862, authorized the payment of $25 bounty to men enlisting for
nine months under that act upon muster in. The same act authorized the payment of
$50 to men enlisting for twelve months under that act, one-half to be paid the recruit
upon joining his regiment, and the other half at the expiration of service.]
His rank when he enlisted was Private and then promoted to Corporal in November, 1864.
When John was 20 years old he was still living at home with his mother. The 1850 census
of Meigs county verifies this.
17
Nancy STANLY 50 F
W
VA
Alkana
29 M
W
TN
Lucinda
22 F
W
TN
John L
20 M
W
TN
John married Nancy Ann Johns on 25 August 1854 and in about 1856 they have their first
and only child, Pleasant Stanley.
By 1860 John, Nancy Ann and their family have moved across the river to Rhea county.
The 1860 Rhea county census shows the family:
STANLY, John 29
M
W
STANLY, Nancy A.
20
F
W
STANLY, Plasant
4
M
W
Source: Census Year 1860 Microfilm #M653-1268 State TN County Rhea
Then in 1870 we find them back in Meigs county. The 1870 census shows John with his
family in District 2 of Meigs county. This is the same district in which the 320 acres of land
that was transferred to him was found.
26 STANLEY
John
31 M
Nancy A
29 F
W
Pleasant
14 M
W
W
Farmer
Source: Schedule 1. Inhabitants Post Office: Decatur, Tennessee
Enumeration District 2, page 39, household # 353.
Page 16 of 69
One of the peculiar issues that crops up with John L. is that his age never seems to be
correct in various census. Notice that in 1860 he stated that he was 29 and 10 years later
was 31. Nancy and Pleasant’s ages appear to be correct. The 1860 census age seems to be
the more accurate of the two.
Sometime between at the time of the census in 1870 and 1877, Nancy Ann died and John
remarried. His new wife was Mary Elizabeth Freiley. The 1880 Federal census finds John
and his new family living in District 2 of Meigs County. John B. was one year old and Mary
E. was 8 months at the time of the census. A year and a few months after John married
Mary Elizabeth, Pleasant married Tennessee Corvin and had left home. The 1880 census
also is the first one that shows that John L.’s father, Jonathan Stanley was born in Virginia,
at least, as reported by John L. It also shows that his mother, Nancy Martin was born in
Virginia as well.
Nancy Ann Johns
Nancy Ann was John L. Stanley's first wife as was mentioned previously. She was born
about 1838 and died sometime between 1870 and 1878. John L. and Nancy were married
on 25 August 1854. The first and only known child, Pleasant was born about 1856. This
date is calculated from his age in the 1860 census.
Pleasant Stanley
It is assumed that Pleasant was raised in Rhea county and we know that he married
Tennessee Corvin on 21 August 1878. Sometime before 1880 he moved to northern
Alabama, not far from Chattanooga. The 1880 census of Madison County, Alabama shows
him as 24 years old, a farmer and married. It should be noted that he reported to the
census taker that his mother and father were born in Alabama, however we know this not
to be true. My guess is that the census taker simply forgot to ask and then just wrote in
AL. It was a bit difficult to find this record because he is not listed as Pleasant in the
census, simply as Pleas. His wife’s name is also misspelled (Tennissee).
Source: 1880 census, Madison County, Alabama
Page 17 of 69
A copy of a letter that Pleasant wrote to his father in September 1879 shows that he had
indeed moved to Matrison (sic) [Madison] County, Alabama, just south of the Tennessee
border. It is likely that after he was married he and his wife headed south to look for a
farm of their own.
Tennessee Corvin
The wife of Pleasant Stanley was born about 1861 judging by her age in the 1880 Census.
There were a number of Corvin families near where Nancy Stanly lived at the time of the
1850 census. It is very likely that Pleasant knew her when they growing up in Meigs
County. Tennessee was not a nickname; there was a practice during this time frame of
naming girls for the state in which they were born.
She had one child with Pleasant, a daughter by the name of Florence who was born
sometime between the second half of 1880 and 1882. It has not been possible to
determine an exact birth year because every document related to her life has a different
year. (see her bio below)
It is not widely known in the family that Tennessee Corvin Stanley married for a second
time in 1883 to George Washington Jordan of Bledsoe County, Tennessee. This is only 3
years after she was living with Pleasant in Alabama and would suggest that Pleasant died,
probably in Madison County, Alabama sometime between 1880 and 1882. No death
record for Pleasant has been found to date. She returned to Bledsoe County with her
daughter where she met and married Jordan. By 1900 Tennessee had given birth to eight
children and she and George were still living in Bledsoe County where he was a farmer.
Florence had married by this time and was living two farms away with her husband, Oliver
Standifer and a one year old daughter named Rose.
A grand niece of Tennessee, Barbara Gholdston of Dayton stated that she was always
known as Aunt Tenn or Tennie and lived up in Brayton up on Dayton Mountain. Barbara
stated the following in an email from February 2012:
"Yes Tennie married Pleasant Standley Aug 21, 1878 in Rhea County, TN., he was
born 1856. They had one daughter Florence, no dates. Then she married George
Washington Jordan, b. Jun 10, 1849, d. Apr 30, 1918, after 1878. They had 8
children, some decendents still live in the area. Hope this helps. Barbara."
Tennessee’s death certificate states that she was born 13 Feb 1863 in Summer City, an
unincorporated area on Dayton Mountain. One census record has her born in 1861 and
another in 1863 or 1864. She had 9 children with Jordan from 1883 to 1908. George
Jordan died on 30 April 1918 from chronic parenshymatous nephritis. Tennessee
remained a widow until her death on 31 August 1947 from chronic myocarditis in Brayton,
Bledsoe County. She and her husband are buried in Brayton Cemetery.
Page 18 of 69
Recent research has revealed that Tennessee T. Jordan believed that she was descended
from Indian parents. In 1905 the Eastern Cherokees sued the United States concerning
grievances arising from past treaties. The court decided in favor of the Cherokees and
instructed the Secretary of the interior to identify the persons entitled to participate in
the distribution of more than $1 million. Obviously, an applicant did not know how much
would be received, but the amount probably was thought to be large.
The fund was to be distributed to all Cherokee Indians who were alive on May 28, 1906
and who were members at the time of the 1835 and 1845 treaties or who were
descendants of such persons. About 90,000 individuals applied; 30,820 were accepted. It
has been reported that the eventual settlement was $133.13 for each accepted applicant.
A search of the Guion-Miller Roll, named for hose who supervised the projects, shows that
Tennessee, her cousin and one of her children did indeed file applications. From the
application and the subsequent correspondence from the Commission it is apparent that
she had no proof and her claim was rejected.
Florence Stanley
Florence is the only known child of Pleasant and Tennessee Corvin Stanley. It has been
difficult to determine Florence’s birth year from the available documents. It is unlikely
that a birth certificate will ever be found for Florence so the most probable birth years for
her is the second half of 1880, 1881 or 1882 and very likely she was born in Alabama
where her parents lived in 1880. The census of 1900 and 1910 show her to be 19 and 29
therefore probably born in the latter half of 1880. However in the 1900 census she stated
she was born in Arkansas and in the 1910 census, Missouri.
After her mother remarried in 1883 Florence took the name Jordan, her mother’s new
husband. Florence’s first marriage was to Oliver Standifer in about 1899. They were living
in Bledsoe County, Tennessee in 1900. She would have 8 children with Oliver. In the 1920
Census we see Oliver living with all of his children and he states that he is a widower.
However, Florence is very much alive so something was very wrong with his marital
status. Had the census taker made a mistake. It took months to resolve the mystery but
finally a telephone call to Phyllis Standifer Killian, the daughter Brooks M. Standifer, one of
the sons of Oliver and Florence. She is 84 years and sharp as a tack and remembers
Florence quite well and knew that she wasn't born in Bledsoe County. She said
somewhere down south of here (Phyllis lives in Chattanooga) and then she remembered
that it was Alabama. It took awhile to get around to talking about what happened
between Florence and Oliver. But then she volunteered that Florence “had divorced that
old dog, Oliver”.
Page 19 of 69
She was a bit hesitant to talk about the circumstances that led Florence to divorce him. I
left it alone for awhile (we talked for about 40 minutes) and then came back to the
subject. She then volunteered that Oliver was an extremely abusive man and that she
feared for her life at one point. In addition to being a farmer he was some kind of minor
county politician and used his connections, apparently to threaten her and to retain
custody of the children. Florence probably couldn't afford an attorney to fight for her
rights. I said that It took some courage to leave her children and Phyllis then said, "..... let's
just leave it at that". There's more to the story, I suspect, but not something she wanted
to talk about.
But why did Oliver state that he was a widower when in fact he was divorced? The stigma
attached to divorce in those days was such that it was better to lie to the census taker
who might gossip about it with others as he made his rounds.
Phyllis then told me that Florence married John Raymond Wilson in 1926 and he loved her
and treated her very well. He was born in Tennessee on 21 Mar 1877 and worked as an
electrician, specializing in home lighting for most of his life. Phyllis' said that her father
visited his mother frequently over the years. I forgot to ask her what year they were
divorced but it had to be 1919. Florence and Oliver had 8 children and he had another 5
with a new wife, Mary Grace Stulz. Only 2 of the 13 children are still alive.
Before Florence married John Raymond Wilson on 9 Oct 1926 in Rhea County I believe she
was married a second time. Looking at the timeline below it would appear that after she
divorced Oliver she was living with George Long, a Methodist minister and his family in
Graysville. She is shown in the census of 1920 living with them and working as a servant.
There is a marriage of Florence Stanley and James F. Long in Rhea county that occurred on
May 27, 1922. There was no other Florence Stanley living in Rhea county at that time so
this must have been our Florence. It appears from the 1900 census that James F. Long was
the younger brother of George and Florence probably met him when he was visiting his
brother. James was 30 years old and Florence was about 42 when they married. It is not
known what happened to the marriage, whether they divorced or if James died.
Year
1900
1910
1920
1922
1926
1930
1940
1942
Age
19
29
36
Year Born
1880
1881
1884
39
55
54
1991
1885
1887.9.15
Location
Arkansas
Missouri
Tennessee
Rhea, Tennessee
Rhea, Tennessee
Tennessee
Alabama
Rhea, Tennessee
Notes
Census, Bledsoe County, TN
Census, Hamilton County, TN
Florence Stanley, servant, Graysville *
Marriage to James F Long *
Marriage to John R. Wilson
Census, Morgan Springs, Dayton Mtn.
Census, Morgan Town, Dayton Mtn.
Death certificate info by husband
Page 20 of 69
* There is no conclusive proof that these two events are connected with the Florence Stanley we
are researching, however, there were no other Florence Stanleys in Meigs or Rhea Counties at the
time.
The above timeline also demonstrate that Florence’s birth years varied from one census
to another. My best guess is that when Florence married John Wilson in 1926 she lied
about her age and when it came time to give her age in future census she forgot the age
that she lied about in the first place and this only compounded the errors. After her
parents married they moved to Madison County, Alabama and were living there on 2 June
1880, the date of the Federal Census. They did not list any children in the census so
Florence was not born before that date.
In 1930 Florence and John were living on Morgan Springs Road on Dayton Mountain.
There were no children listed in that census. They were still living in the Morgan Town
area in 1940 and no children were listed in that census either. The chances are that they
never had children.
Florence died on 9 May 1942 from uterine cancer. She is buried in Brayton Cemetery as is
her husband who died on November 29, 1948 from a coronary thrombosis.
Mary Elizabeth Freiley
Mary Elizabeth was John L. Stanley’s second wife and they were married on 8 March 1877
in Hamilton County, Tennessee. It is believed that John L. was still living on his farm in
Meigs County at the time of his marriage since he was there in 1870 with Nancy Ann and
then in 1880 with Mary Elizabeth.
Mary Elizabeth was born in May, 1843 and died about 1904 although no death record has
been found. In most records and references her maiden name is spelled Fraley. However,
a transcript of the Freiley family history written by Sue Ziegler in 1955 indicates that the
family name was indeed spelled Freiley. Mary Elizabeth, along with her 4 children is cited
in this transcript as part of the Freiley family that lived in Ogden up on Walden Ridge
above the city of Dayton.
(Note: a separate paper has been written to research the validity of the oral history
document by Sue Zieglier)
John and Mary had 4 children: John B. (my grandfather), Mary E., Stanton, and Susan.
In the 1880 Meigs County census we find that they had a one year old son, John B., and a
new baby, Mary E. who was 8 months old at the time of the census.
Page 21 of 69
The 1890 Federal Census was destroyed in a fire in Washington D. C. and although it has
been partially reconstructed from other documents I have not found any information for
John L. in this decade. However, we do know that John L. had died by 1890 because Mary
E. filed a claim for John L.’s pension4 for serving in the Civil War. The claim receipt from
the Department of the Interior lists her as “Widow of John Stanley” and was dated Nov 25,
1889.
Knoxville, TN USA, Mary E Stanley, widow of John Stanley who was a Corpl., Co. G,
11th Regt. and Co. L, 9th Regt. Tenn. Vol. Cavy is entitled to a pension under the
provisions of the Act of June 27, 1890, at the rate of Eight dollars per month, to
commence on the twelfth day of July 1890 and to continue during her widowhood
unless she shall forfeit her right thereto. And she is also entitled to two dollars per
month, additional for each of the following named children while living and under
the age of sixteen years.
John commencing July 12, 1890, sixteen June 15, 1894
Mary commencing July 12, 1890, sixteen August 24, 1895
Stanton commencing July 12, 1890, sixteen November 5, 1896
Susan commencing July 12, 1890, sixteen January 13, 1899.
This pension document is the only evidence we have of the exact birth date of each child.
Some census state the month and are in agreement with the months stated for each in
this document. Therefore, as of the date of this document Mary was a widow and her four
children were all living.
In the 1900 Census of Rhea County we see the following listing:
Mary STANLEY as head of household and a widow, born May 1844, 4 children, 3 still
living in 1900, Other Family Members: John born June 1878, Age: 22, Stanton, born
Nov 1880, Age: 19, Susan, born Jan 1883, Age: 17, William C. FRALEY, brother, born
May 1861 Age: 39.
4
Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Pensions, Dept. of the Interior, U.S.A. (Washington D.C., Dept. of the Interior, 6 Feb
1893)
Page 22 of 69
From this census we can summarize the following:






Mary Elizabeth was a widow by 1900 and had given birth to 4 children
3 children were alive and lived in her home;
We know the names and ages of the children;
The family had moved from Meigs county to Rhea county sometime between 1880
and 1900;
The daughter, Mary E. had died as of this date;
Mary Stanley’s brother, William C. Fraley (Freiley) is staying in her home.
The census also showed that they lived on and worked a farm which they owned and that
it was free of a mortgage. The crops they grew are listed on Farm Schedule 17 which has
not been obtained as yet.
Mary E. Stanley
Mary was born on 24 August 1879 in Tennessee probably in Meigs County. We know that
she was alive as of 12 July 1890 when the pensions began for Mary and each child. Since
she was the one child who was not alive on 2 June 1900 when the census was taken she
died sometime between those two dates. No official death records existed at that time.
Susan Stanley
Of the four children born to John and Mary Elizabeth only Susan and John B have been
found in the records of Rhea County. There is a marriage record issued to Susie Stanley
and Andrew Bankston on 25 June 1906. It is most likely that this is Susan Stanley, the
sister of John B. Stanley. She would have been about 22 or 23 years old at the time of her
marriage. In the 1910 Federal Census of Rhea County, Andrew Bankston is living next door
to John B. Stanley and on the other side of him is his older brother, John with his family.
The census indicates he is widowed and has a 3 year old daughter, Alma.
This is undoubtedly the correct Susan Stanley; there is sufficient circumstantial evidence
to conclude that it is. Susan was John's younger sister and she undoubtedly grew up with
Andrew Bankston. Furthermore, no trace of any other Susan Stanley in Rhea can be found
after 1910. She may have died during child birth or sometime between the birth of Alma
and the time the census was taken on 18 April 1910. Andrew would remarry in 1915 to
Lucy Muckey on the 27th of September. Andrew died in 1942 and Lucy in 1962. They are
buried in Montgomery Cemetery in Old Washington, Rhea County.
Page 23 of 69
Stanton Stanley
Stanton was born on 5 November 1880 probably in Meigs County since his parents were
living there in 1880. He appears with his mother in the 1900 census, age 19 and working
as a farm laborer and then he vanishes. After 1900 he has never been found in any census
or other public record despite a significant effort to locate him.
John B. Stanley
John B. Stanley, my grandfather was born in 15 June, 1878 in Meigs County on the eastern
side of the Tennessee River. Sometime after the death of his father, John along with his
siblings and mother moved to Rhea County. The 1900 census which was taken on June 2nd
shows him living at home with his mother, Mary, his brother Stanton and his sister, Nancy.
Three months later he married Edna Sexton on September 21, 19005. They had 3 girls
together before Edna died. John was a farmer however, it is not
known where his farm was when he was married to Edna.
He married for a second time on October 4, 1908. His new wife
was Mary Isabelle Coke and her life will be discussed in greater
detail later in the paper. I was about 5 years old when I first met
my grandparents. They were living on a farm on Blythe Ferry
Road in Dayton when we visited them. As with most farmers
they were generally self sufficient in raising their own food. My
recollection is that they had one cow for milk, cream, and butter, a few pigs and hogs for
meat, chickens for eggs and eating, and corn as a cash crop. They also had a garden where
they grew strawberries, cantalopes, beans and other vegetables.
According to family members he was a life long Republican while Belle, his second wife
was a staunch Democrat. He would walk to town after finishing his chores at the farm and
discuss the events and news of the day with friends. After returning home he would share
the news with her and they were argue politics mostly.
According to family members he had a stroke while walking to town one day and died
shortly afterwards in his home on February 13, 1955. The family physician, Dr. Rogers was
at his bedside when he died. He later indicated on the death certificate that the cause of
death was chronic myocarditis. John is buried in Spivey Cemetery, Dayton, Tennessee
alongside his wife.
5
Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002
Page 24 of 69
Edna Sexton
John B. Stanley’s first wife was Edna Sexton, spelled ‘Secton’ in some references. The
marriage bond that was posted in Rhea County on 18 September 1900 was signed by John
Stanley and A. L. Spangler. The marriage license was issued on 18 September and the
marriage was soleminized on 21 September by W. W. Cranmore. John's surname was
spelled "Stanly" and Edna's as "Sexton". Edna and John had 3 girls, Myrtle born about
1901, Gertrude also known as Gertie born about 1903, and Versi or Versa was born on
September 27, 1905.
It was very difficult to find the parents of Edna and where she might have lived before she
married John. The following record was always considered the most likely family but the
major problem was always her age. She would have been only 11 or 12 when she married.
Extremely young, but these things did happen.
James P Sexton
42 Jun 1857 m4
Ellen Sexton
36 Dec 1863 m4 2-2
America D Sexton
18 Mar 1882
Henry C Sexton
16 Aug 1883
Robert Sexton
11 Jul 1888
Edna Sexton
11 Jan 1889
Oscar L Sexton
3 Nov 1896
Patrick Sexton
1 Jul 1898
All below b. TN both parents b. TN
Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Civil District 15, Rhea,
Tennessee; Roll: T623 1593; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 86.
Note however, that James wife, Ellen Sexton could not be the mother of Edna. She has
only been married for 4 years (m4 2-2) and only the two youngest children are hers.
While in Dayton 2 years ago, we found two gravestones in the Garrison Cemetery of an
Ellen Walker Sexton (29 Dec 1863 - 25 Dec 1927) and James Polk Sexton (5 Jun 1857 - 27
Jun 1946). These were apparently husband and wife because the graves are next to each
other and they are the same people shown in the above 1900 census. Also buried in the
Garrison Cemetery under the “Sexton” name listing are the following women:
[57] Nancy Jane [Swafford], [1858] - 10 Mar [1885], w/o J.P., m. 8 Nov 1879
[58] Martha E. [Swafford], [1864] - 29 Jan 1895, w/o J.P., m. 16 May 1886
page
182
of
Rhea
County,
Tennessee
Cemetery
Records-Volume
Page 25 of 69
2
From this it appears James Polk Sexton had three wives and Edna b. Jan 1889 would have
been the child of Martha E. Swafford. Of further interest is the fact that James Polk Sexton
apparently married the sister of his first wife, Nancy E. Swafford.
It turned out that James P. and Ellen were not Edna’s parents but rather her aunt and
uncle. There was another Edna Sexton born to James’ sister, Tennessee “Tenie” Sexton
who became John Stanley’s wife in 1900. What has not been totally resolved is why Tenie
and her daughter both use the surname of Sexton rather than her married name. This
breakthrough came about by finding a brief biography in the History of Rhea County,
Tennessee that was published in 1991 by the Rhea County Historical and Genelogical
Society.
Tennessee “Tenie” J. Sexton was born about 1861 in Rhea County. She married Jim
Lyles. Tenie had one child, Edna. Edna married John Emmett Stanley on September
21, 1900 in Rhea County. Edna died young.
Publications based on the memory of the contributors have many facts correct because
they are written by family members but occasionally there are mistakes. In this case, the
person writing this section used John Stanley's son's name, John Emmett instead of John
B. Stanley. John Stanley and Edna Sexton were in fact married on the date and place
stated in the biography. Census from 1870 and 1880 do show Tennessee living with her
mother Mary Ann Sexton and her brother James Polk and her younger sister, Nancy.
Since Edna's surname is the same as her mother's it is likely that she was born out of
wedlock. She must have been born after 1880 because she doesn’t appear in that census
with her mother. From the bio it appears that Tenie married a man by the name of Jim
Lyles and if Edna had been the daughter of Jim Lyles and Tennessee Sexton then surely
she would have used the Lyles name. Other than the personal history found in the
"History" book no other records have been been discovered that show that Lyles and
Tennessee were married or in fact or had lived together.
One other small detail that links John Stanley to this Sexton family was also uncovered
recently. John Stanley was listed as a honorary pall bearer in the funeral for James Polk
Sexton. Even after Edna died they must have remained friends. Additional research into
the lives of the Sexton family can be found in Appendix 7.
Myrtle Stanley
Little is known about the life of Myrtle Stanley. We know that she was the oldest of three
girls born to John and Edna in 1901 as calculated from the 1910 Federal Census. She does
not appear in the 1920 census with her parents so she has either married or left home to
be on her own. There was a marriage license issued in Rhea County to Myrtle Stanley and
George Edwards on 21 June 1916. This is the only record of a Myrtle Stanley being
Page 26 of 69
married in Rhea County. Of course she could have been married in a different county or
state. There was only one other Stanley family living in Rhea County at the time and
although they were a very large family there were no daughters named Myrtle.
According to a letter written on August 7, 1932 by Belle Stanley to her daughter Hazel,
“Myrt” (her step-daughter Myrtle) was getting a divorce from Jim. There was no last name
or location where they were living. Belle did say that she wrote Myrt a letter so
presumably they were not living in Dayton in 1932. No further information about Myrtle
has been found to date.
Gertrude Stanley
Gertie’s birth year of 1903 was calculated from the 1910 Federal Census. In the 1920
census she appears there with her father, her step-mother, Belle Stanley, her half-sister,
Hazel and her half-brother, Emmett. There is also a Gertrude Stanley working at the
hosiery mill in Dayton and is listed as a boarder in the home of James and Lucy Caulter.
This Gertrude is 18 years old whereas John’s daughter Gertie was only 16 in 1920 and
therefore there is probably no connection. Little else is known about her life.
There is a death record in Graysville, Rhea County for Glenn L. McAfee who died on 13 Oct
1922 at the age of 1 month and 18 days. His parents were Albert McAfee and Gertrude
Stanley. This could be our Gertrude but an exhaustive search for other records, including a
page by page examination of the 1930 Federal Census in Graysville did not find them.
Additional documents are needed to conclusively prove that McAfee was her husband.
Versa Stanley
Oral family history states that Versie died young and in fact she did on April 6, 1915 at the
age of 9 years and 6 months. The death certificate signed by Dr. Sam Donaldson stated
that she died of meningitis, a bacterial infection of the membrane covering the brain. The
death certificate also indicated that she was buried near Dayton but no cemetery name
was given. It is entirely possible that she was buried on the family farm.
Mary Isabelle Coke (Hood)
Mary Isabelle Coke was John B. Stanley’s second wife. Belle Stanley as she was known to
everyone in the family has a fairly complicated and interesting life story. Before going into
some detail the following is a brief synopsis of her life:


She was born to a mother who was certainly a half-blooded Cherokee Indian,
and most likely, a full-blooded one.
Her father, James Coke left the family or was killed while away from the family
when she was about four years old.
Page 27 of 69





She took the name of her step-father when her mother remarried and had 6
half-brothers and sisters.
When she was 25 she had an illegitimate child with reputedly, a wealthy man.
She was 37 years old when she married John B. Stanley who was 7 years her
junior and as mentioned already had 3 young children from his first wife.
She had two children with John, giving birth to Hazel Rebecca when she was 39
and to John Emmett at the age of 42.
She worked as the wife of a farmer her entire life, was a Baptist, an ardent
Democrat, and died in 1957 at the age of 85.
Up until now no one in the family knew the exact date when Belle was born. However,
from a recently discovered family letter that she wrote to her daughter Hazel she said that
the date of the letter was her birthday and that she was 64 that day. The letter was dated
5 July 1935 therefore the date of her birth was 5 July 1871. Just recently (June, 2013)
Belle’s death certificate was obtained and it shows her date of birth as 5 July 1870 as
reported by her son, John Emmett Stanley. This is the year that is engraved on her grave
marker. To complicate matters further, the 1900 Federal Census lists her birth date as
“July 1872” as reported by her mother. Either Emmett was mistaken about her birth year,
or Belle forgot she was 65 on that day in 1935 or Belle’s mother forgot the exact year or
the census taker made a mistake in 1900. As well be shown later, I believe that her actual
date of birth is 5 July 1871. Her cause of death as stated by Dr. Rogers was chronic
myocarditis.
Her father was James L. Coke, born about 1844 and her mother was Margaret Rebecca
Emory, born 18 March 1855. They were married on 13 June
1870 in Rhea County and Mary Isabelle was born 13 months
later. Her birthplace has been a mystery. Family members
believe she was born in either Decatur in Meigs County or
Athens in McMinn County but no evidence has been found to
verify either of these locations. However, using the
information from the 1870 census and a bit of reasoning we
might narrow down the area in which she was born.
First, we must introduce the parents of her mother for their
movements play a role in determing Belle’s birth location.
Her grandmother was Rebecca Cogburn who was born about
1820 and married Joseph Emory/Emery on 04 December
1839 in Monroe County, Tennessee. They had four children:
Solomon born in 1843, Thomas in 1846, Mary Jane in 1849,
and finallly Margaret Rebecca (Belle’s mother) in 1855. We know that Joseph died
between 1855 and 1860 because in the census of 1860 Rebecca Emory was the head of
the household and living in McMinn County with her 4 children.
Page 28 of 69
The 1870 census states that James and Margaret Coke were living in the Sulphur Springs
(renamed Rhea Springs in 1878) area of Rhea on the banks of the Piney River, just a few
miles north of Dayton and to the east of Spring City. Rhea Springs no longer exists; the
small community of one hotel and 17 houses was inundated by the lake that was formed
when the Watts Bar dam was finished in 1942.
The 1870 census also reveals the following information:




James L. Coke and wife Margaret are living in house #69 in District 2 (Sulphur
Springs) and we know from their marriage license that they were married on 13
June 1870.
Rebecca Cogburn Emory is living with George Boles, his wife Pollie and their family
in house #6. George Boles is the father of John Boles who married Rebecca’s
daughter, Mary Jane.
John Boles and Mary Jane are living in house #2 and have 2 young children.
James D. Hood is living with his brother Rufus Hood & family in house #1.
We already know from the 1860 census that Joseph Emory had died (or possibly left the
family) and Rebecca was the head of the household and stated that her occupation was a
“weaver”. By 1870 we see that Rebecca’s children have all left her and she is living with
the father of her son-in-law. We also know that the 1870 census was taken on the 21st of
July and that Margaret and James were married in June, therefore one of two things had
happened:


The first possibility is that Rebecca had owned house #69 and Margaret lived there
with her until she married; then Rebecca moved out to live with George Boles
leaving the house to Margaret and James.
Or, Rebecca and Margaret didn’t own any home and were already living with
George Boles when James asked Margaret to marry him and then moved to his
home in house #69.
I do not believe that Rebecca inherited any land after the death of her husband. If he had
been a farmer and owned land then the 1860 census would have shown Rebecca’s
occupation as a farmer with her sons as laborers. Instead she is listed as a weaver. My
best guess is that in the mid-1860s with no male children left at home to help with chores
and to bring in extra money that Rebecca and Margaret left McMinn and moved to
Sulphur Springs to live with either John or George Boles. We know from the 1850 census
that although George Boles (Bowls) was born in Virginia by 1850 he was already a farmer
in Rhea County and starting his family.
If Belle had been born on July 5, 1870 then the 1870 Federal Census that was enumerated
on August 8th would surely have shown her as a child of Jim and Margaret Coke with an
age of 1/12 or one month old. But no child was listed. It is not likely that James and
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Margaret would have moved in the next 11 months, therefore, I believe there is enough
circumstantial evidence to suggest that Mary Isabelle Coke was indeed born in Sulphur
Springs. It can also be said with some certainty that she was not born in 1870.
There is an additional piece to this puzzle that lends credence to the idea that Mary
Isabelle was born in that community. As described before, her father, James Coke left the
family or was killed when Belle was about 4 or 5 years old and that Margaret Rebecca
remarried. The person she married was James Daniel Hood who lived in house #1 with his
brother, Rufus Hood and his family in 1870. Therefore it is certain that Margaret and
James D. Hood knew each other when she was still married to her husband, James Coke.
So, after John Hood and Margaret were married on 12 January 1876 where did they live?
If James Coke had owned his own farm then it is likely that Margaret would have inherited
it and James Daniel would have moved there and farmed that land. But, in the 1880
census we find them living next door to Rufus Hood and that James Daniel’s occupation
was “laborer”, meaning that he was not a farmer owning his own land. It is likely that
Rufus allowed him to build a home on his land and he therefore worked for Rufus as a
farm hand. We can also conclude that either James Coke didn’t own his own land and was
a share cropper or he did own it and the land was sold after his death to repay debts.
The 1880 census also shows that James Daniel and Margaret had their first child together;
Rebecca, age 1. Her actual name is Anna Rebecca Hood and known later in the family as
“Aunt Becky”. Oral family history claims that James Daniel Hood adopted Grandma Belle
who was 9 at the time of the census and gave her his name. We know that she did use the
Hood name however no record of a formal adoption has been found.
I recently came across a website by Peggy Ann Ayers Rollins from Decherd, Tennessee
whose grandfather was James Cleveland Hood, a son of James Daniel Hood. Peggy
therefore is my "half-first cousin", because Jim Coke is actually my “real” great
grandfather, and James Daniel Hood is my half-great grandfather. She told me that quite a
number of their family went to Grandma Belle Stanley's funeral in 1957. Peggy and her
brother, Floyd Ayers have recorded some wonderful family stories. Here is one of them on
how Great Grandma Margaret met James Daniel Hood, sent to me by Floyd.
"This was told to me by Mother's sister Thelma Hood Everett in the 1990's. Years before,
Aunt Thelma had struck up a conversation with an older lady, a Mrs. Moon, in a waiting
room somewhere in Winchester, TN, and discovered that Mrs. Moon had grown up in
Meigs County as a neighbor to James Daniel &
Margaret Hood's family. Mrs. Moon told Aunt
Thelma that James Daniel Hood was working in
a logging camp, when an Indian widow and her
little girl (Margaret & Belle Coke) came walking
out of the woods looking for work. Margaret
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was hired to cook for the loggers, met James Hood
there, and they married a short time later."
Since we have already determined that Margaret and
James D. Hood knew each other living in Sulphur
Springs in 1870-71 it is unlikely that they met in the way
described in this story. After James Coke died (or left) it
is likely that she would have moved in with either
George or John Boles with her daughter. Then after a
few months of seeing each other they decided to
marry. Like most family oral histories, some of the
“facts” were probably “enhanced” over the
generations.
However, one of James and Margaret’s daughters,
Hattie Ethel married James Jacob Moon and it is likely
that one of their daughters or a sister of James Jacob
was the Mrs. Moon in the story. “Aunt Thelma” is Peggy’s aunt and the daughter of James
Cleveland Hood.
However, the most interesting part of the story is that Mrs. Moon said that she was an
Indian widow. It is noteworthy that she said “widow” lending some credence to the fact
that James Coke was killed, and also that Margaret was an Indian. While no specific
evidence has been found to prove that she was an Indian we only have to look at her
picture to know that she definitely has Indian features. The high cheek bones, forehead
and narrow set eyes are typical of the features of the Cherokee Indian.
Floyd Ayers, the brother of Peggy calls himself the resident Indian of the family and has
researched our Cherokee Indian roots. He states that it is likely that Margaret was fullblooded, but if not, most certainly her mother, Rebecca Cogburn was. In a later section of
this paper we will discuss the connections within the family to the Cherokee ancestry.
Sometime after the birth of their second child, John Spencer Hood in 1883 in Rhea County
the family moved to the Big Springs community in Meigs County where James Cleveland
Hood was born on 28 December 1886, followed by Hattie Ethel, 07 March 1889, Hassie
Falsom, 27 April 1893, and lastly, Amanda Amber, 04 July 1895.
James Marvin (Bodie) Hood
It was in Big Springs, Meigs County that Grandma Belle at the age of about 26 had an
affair with Mr. Powell, a very wealthy man so the story goes, and gave birth on April 4,
1897 to an illegitimate son, James Marvin Coke, whom she and every one in the family
called Bodie. She later gave him her adopted last name of Hood and he would use both
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Coke and Hood in various documents over the following years. Her mother, Margaret
Emery Coke Hood, didn't want them to get married even though Mr. Powell apparently
wanted to marry her. Aunt Lillian Stanley recalls that "she
just ran him off". Even though the picture shown below is
not dated Mary Isabelle appears to be in her late
twenties and her appearance was probably the same at
the time of her “affair”.
In the 1900 census, Mary Isabelle is living with her
mother and step-father, James Hood and even though
Bodie was already 3 years old he does not appear in the
census. James and Margaret’s other five children are listed but not Bodie. Perhaps the
shame of an illegitimate child in the household was so great that they refused to tell the
census taker.
Bodie spent the first 11 years of his life living with his mother and grandparents in Big
Springs. After Belle married John Stanley in 1908 he and his mother moved in with him
and his three daughters on his farm. Bodie appears in the 1910 census as James M. Coke,
the step-son of John Stanley. He completed 8 years of schooling and then worked on his
step-father’s farm. He married6 Ida Potter of Dayton on December 25, 1915 when they
were both 18 years old. The marriage described in the footnote indicates that they were
17 years old when in fact they were both age 18.
Bodie and Ida lived for at least the next two years in Dayton. He stated on his WWI draft
registration, dated June 5, 1918 that he was "farming for himself” and he and his wife
were living on R.R.#2 in Dayton. It is not known whether he was working for his stepfather or if he was share cropping for someone else but R.R. #2 was the same postal route
as John Stanley. This document also confirms his date and place of birth as April 4, 1897 in
Meigs County. Their first child, James Walter Hood was born on May 1917 in Dayton.
Sometime between June 1918 and January 1920 when the census was taken, he and Ida
moved to Meigs County.
His delayed birth record which he applied for on May 20, 1957 while living at 5618
Harrison Street in Pittsburgh showed his mother as "Bell Stanley" and his father's name
was blank. However, he did indicate his correct birth date and stated that his place of
birth was Big Springs, Meigs County.
We know from Bodie’s death certificate that his father’s name was Scott Powell. In an
attempt to identify Bodie’s father extensive research was carried out with the assistance
of Frank Powell, a descendant of the original Powell settlers in Meigs County. Although
6
Marriage Record, Rhea County, Tennessee lists “Bottie Hood” and “Ida Patter”, both 17. Marriage License,
State of Tennessee, Rhea County, 24 December 1915, marriage solemnized 25 December 1915.
Page 32 of 69
there is no single document that can conclusively prove who Bodie’s father was, one
candidate has emerged who is most likely the correct Scott Powell.
From the family story we have three pieces of information: Scott wanted to marry Belle,
he was a wealthy man, and Belle’s mother refused to allow her to marry him. To winnow
down the candidates specific criteria were established. Any prospect would have to have
been single at the time because he “offered to marry Belle”. Furthermore, it is reasonable
to assume that Scott and Belle would have known each other and therefore they probably
lived fairly close to each other. We can use the cenus documents to establish age and
marital status as well as their proximity to each other. But few online documents can be
used to establish which Powell was wealthy.
Research by Frank Powell who was from Meigs County and whose brother still lives there
found that the Powells were indeed wealthy as judged by the local standards. Scott
Powell, the elder was born in 1799, came from Virginia and appears to be the head of the
first, or one of the first, Powell families in the county. He was a farmer and slave owner.
His wife was Mary Isabel Womack and she and Scott were married in 1822 in Lunenburg,
Virginia. They first migrated to Shelby, Tennessee in 1830, then to Hamilton County in
1840 and by 1850 they were in Meigs County. Scott the elder acquired land grants and
had other extensive land holdings in the Big Springs area.
But by the time the land was divided during estate settlements, the descendants received
less and less with each generation. Any Scott Powell of the age to marry Belle would have
been a grandson of Scott the elder and it is doubtful that he or any other male Powell
would have had large land holdings, at least from inheritance. It is likely that the word
“wealthy” referred to the “family” rather than the individual, as in, “he was from a
wealthy family.”
The search then began by finding all men in Meigs County from 1850 to 1885 who were
named Powell with Scott either as a first or middle name, regardless of marital status.
Only four Powell men in Meigs County met this criterion. Next, the four candidates were
examined to determine if they were single on or before July 1896. Bodie was born in April
1897 and if Belle carried him to full term he would have been conceived in about July of
the previous year. Finally, they were examined for what communities they lived in for this
time period. Although Meigs is not a large county people during this period generally
stayed within their own communities.
John Scott Powell, our first candidate was born in 1881 and therefore was only 15 when
Bodie was conceived in March 1896. His father was Robert Coleman Powell and the family
lived in the Big Springs community. He was usually referred to as John S. or John Scott, but
occasionally, as Scott Powell. Although not out of the realm of possibility it is unlikely that
Belle would have had an affair with such a young boy. Furthermore, the age of consent at
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the time was 16 years old and he couldn’t have married without his parents consent. It
seems reasonable to rule him out as the father.
George Scott Powell was born in 1868 and was the son of Jacob P. Powell. He married
Emma L. Hensley on April 8 1897 in Scottsboro, Alabama and therefore he was single
when Bodie was conceived. He also lived in the Big Springs community. However, in every
census he was usually referred to as George S. or George Scott, not simply as Scott.
Samuel Scott Powell was born in 1855 and was the son of John P. Powell. He can be
quickly eliminated, not only because the family lived in Pineland some distance from Big
Springs, but also because he was married in 1878 to Mary Elizabeth Armstrong and
remained married to her until he died in Alabama in 1935. He had a son named Scott but
he was only born in 1896.
Our last prospect is Scott Powell who was born on 19 Mar 1867, the son of Thomas
William Benton Powell. He married Amander Masoner on August 30, 1888, but she died in
1894 in Big Springs. He married Minnie Smith on February 18, 1903 in Campbell County.
This means that he was single in 1886 and could very well be the Scott we are looking for.
Frank Powell who assisted me in this research indicated that there were some rumors of
infidelity concerning Thomas Powell. He told me that the black sheriff in Rhea County
always tells his brother that they are cousins!
With the exception of Samuel Scott all the other three were from the area in Meigs known
in the census as “Civil District 2, District 0103”. This is the same area where Belle and her
family lived at the time. The Hood family lived on Ridge Road and many of the Powells
lived on Bunker Hill Road. The two roads intersect one another. There is no question then
that Belle and Scott lived close to one other and went to school together. Given the
information that has been found to date it is likely that Bodie’s father was Scott Powell,
the son of Thomas Benton Powell.
We are still left with one nagging question, why did Margaret not allow her pregnant
daughter to marry Scott. One possibility is that she had an intense dislike for the Powell
families or for Scott Powell in particular. Unless someone in the Powell family can answer
this question we will never know the reason.
The next question is when was Bodie told that his father was Scott Powell. He had to have
been told at some point since Ida even knew his name as evidenced by the information
she provided for Bodie’s death certificate. It is very likely he knew when he was still living
in Tennessee. As previously mentioned, after he and Ida were married they lived in Rhea
County for a couple of years. But then they chose to move back across the river to Meigs
where we find them in the 1920 Federal Census. Living with them is F. L. Powell. Fredric
Lee Powell, born on August 30, 1871 is the son of Thomas William Benton Powell and the
younger brother of Scott Powell who is believed to be the father of Bodie. It cannot be a
Page 34 of 69
coincidence that Fredric was living with Bodie and Ida. He was married in 1903 to Anna B.
Ziegler but by 1910 she had died and Fredric was living with Charles Boggess in 1910 and
later with Bodie in 1920.
This should be enough circumstantial evidence to conclude that Scott, the son of Thomas
William Benton Powell is the father of Bodie. However, there is one little niggling detail
that is found in the same 1920 census page where Bodie is found, and that is, that two
farms away from Bodie is the Scott Powell, son of Robert Coleman Powell, the 15 year old
Scott when Bodie was conceived. He was 38 in this census when Bodie was 22. The farms
were on Bunker Hill Road which connects with Ridge Road where Belle grew up. Scott
owned his home and land but Bodie was only renting his. He was probably share cropping
and leasing land belonging to one of the Powells or the land of a neighbor, W. J.
Blankenship or even possibly, the property of widow Womack who had the next farm to
Bodie.
Scott Powell, Bodie’s probable father, had moved to Campbell County around 1910 and
was still there in 1920 when Bodie moved to Meigs County. He died in Knoxville in 1952.
Bodie moved to Pittsburgh and Frederic was living on his own in 1930. Interestingly, he
was only 4 farms away from Belle’s mother, Margaret who was 75 and a widow at the
time. Federic died on July 14, 1940 in Meigs County.
Ida Mae ‘Broyles’ Potter
Ida Mae Potter was born on February 8, 1897 in Dayton and was most likely an
illegitimate child. Her mother was Lillie Potter, the daughter of Uriah Potter and Elizabeth
Jones. In 1900 Lillie is shown in the census of that year living with her mother and siblings.
The census indicates that she was born in July, 1879 and was single. Her mother as the
head of household is widowed and states that a 3 year old child named Ida Broyles is her
granddaughter. There is no one else in the household by the name of Broyles and it is
presumed that Ida is the daughter of Lillie and a man named Broyles. It is unlikely that
Lillie was married because she states that she was single in the census. If she had married
and her husband died then one would expect to see her listed as a widow.
We know from Ida’s delayed birth certificate for which she personally applied while living
in Pittsburgh she stated that her mother was Lillie Potter. Ida claimed her birth date was
February 8, 1897 and the birth information in that 1900 census for Ida Broyles was
February, 1897. She did not include the name of a father in the application. This fact plus
the use of her mother’s maiden name is conclusive proof that Ida Broyles was indeed Ida
Potter and was illegitimate. The Broyles were a very large family in Dayton and it would be
almost impossible to find the father of Ida without at least a first name.
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Her mother married Nathan Reed on November 3, 1903 and had 6 children with him.
Interestingly, Ida does not appear in the 1910 census living with her mother and Nathan.
She is instead counted in the household of her mother’s brother, James Potter and his
family. James indicates that Ida Broyles was his niece. Also living with James are two of his
brothers, William, age 50 and Isaac, age 41, both single. They were living with their
mother in 1900 and probably moved in with James after she died. One farm over is
another brother, Silas and on the other side of James, two farms away is his brother John
with his family.
Ida gave birth to four children, James Walter, John, George, and Margaret in Meigs County
from 1917 to 1925. The following year Bodie moved his family to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, most likely to obtain a better paying job in the booming steel industry and
to escape from the hard life of a farmer. Their fifth child, Ida Lee was born there in about
1927. In 1930 they were living at 5626 Donson Way and Hazel Stanley, Bodie’s half-sister
and my mother was staying with them. Bodie was renting this 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom
913 sq. ft. two story house that was built in 1910. This meant that 8 people were living in
a two bedroom house – one wonders how it was possible to live like that.
Bodie became an iron worker and was employed in one of the many steel mills that were
in Pittsburgh during this period. Family letters show that he and Ida continue to live in
Pittsburgh during the 1930s. Their last child, Stanley G. Hood was born on March 12, 1932
in Pennsylvania. Between 1930 and 1935 the family moved to a larger rented home. The
1940 census shows them living at 211 56th Street, only a few blocks from the Allegheny
River in Pittsburgh. They were also there in 1935. The 1800 sq. ft. two story old style
house was built in 1900 and had only 5 rooms in total, two bedrooms and a single bath.
Bodie was employed as a millwright at a steel mill and was once again only renting the
house. By 1940 there were nine members of the family, including Florence, the wife of
Bodie and Ida’s son, John. Although larger than their first home it is still a minor miracle
that they could survive in this house since the description7 only shows two bedrooms and
one bath. Perhaps they had other rooms partitioned to create small bedrooms, but it is
doubtful that they had more than one bath.
Bodie and Ida were listed in a number of the annual editions of the Pittsburgh City
Directory up until 1958 when their last residence was at 5618 Harrison Street, one block
from the river. At some point, probably after retiring, they moved to Chicora in Butler
County, Pennsylvania about an hour northeast of Pittsburgh. It was in that small town that
Bodie died on May 31, 1967 from carcinomatosis. It is his death certificate that gives us
his date of birth and as mentioned before, his father’s full name. The information was
given to the medical examiner by his wife so Bodie must have talked with her about his
7
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Assessor, Parcel ID : 0120-N-00296-0000-00, Ward 10, Pittsburgh
Page 36 of 69
father and it is likely that Ida even met him in Meigs County. He is buried in Allegheny
Cemetery in Pittsburgh. His gravesite is in Section 62, Lot: 220-A, Grave 38.
Ida Hood died at the age of 80 in August 1977 in Fenelton, Butler, Pennsylvania, a
populated area of Butler County, just 6 miles from Chicora. Her last residence was
Conneaut Lake, Crawford, Pennsylvania, just about 70 miles northwest of Chicora. It is
possible that she was living with one of her children at the time of her death. Her date of
birth was stated on the social security death record as February 8, 1897. Her obituary
appeared in the August 4, 1977 edition of the Butler Eagle9 newspaper which would
suggest that she probably died on August 1st. She is also buried in the Allegheny Cemetery
in Grave #4 next to her husband. The cemetery records vary slightly and indicate she died
on August 3, 1977 and was buried on the 6th. Although both Bodie and Ida died in Butler
County they were brought back and buried in Pittsburgh where they lived for over half of
their lives.
Hazel Rebecca Stanley
Since this is my mother it doesn’t feel right to refer to her as Hazel so I will sometimes call
her Mom in this section that I have written about her life.
Hazel Rebecca Stanley was born 18 December 1910 in Dayton, Tennessee and died on 21
June 1967 in Truckee, California from a cerebral stroke while on vacation in Lake Tahoe.
This was just 24 days after Bodie died in Pennsylvania. She is buried in Mt. Tamalpais
Cemetery in San Rafael, California. This information is on all known civil and legal
documents that she completed during her lifetime.
However, it was recently determined that she was born in
1909 not 1910. In the 1910 United States federal census of
Rhea County, Tennessee, taken on 18 April 1910 she is shown
as “Hazel”, female, and “4/12” years old. This means that she
was already 4 months old at the time of the census and
couldn’t have been born in December 1910, but instead in
December 1909. It is a well known fact that census takers
made mistakes, but it shouldn’t be possible to enter a member
of a family who hasn’t been born yet. The 1920 and 1930
census also shows her age that when calculated against the
dates of those census also shows she was born in 1909. It is not known why she always
indicated her birth year as 1910.
8
the following coordinates are the exact location of his grave within the cemetery: 40.4724308462232 79.9456611871719.
9
Butler Eagle, date of publication: August 4, 1977, Page 22, Butler County Library index for Ida Mae Potter
Hood, Film #: 454
Page 37 of 69
She went to school in Dayton and was 16 at the time of the famous Scopes trial in the
town during the summer of 1925. After graduating
from high school she apparently worked briefly for
a lawyer in Dayton. This was learned from old
letters that she kept that were sent to her by her
mother and her best friend, Mary Jordan. From
Mary’s letter dated May 2, 1929 it appears that she
lived with her in Chattanooga for a while and then
left to go back home to Dayton, or so it appears. In
the letter Mary was actually begging her to come
back and said that she missed her desperately.
In the 1930 U.S. Census of Pittsburgh taken on April 3, Mom is listed as 20 years old and
living with her step-brother, James (Bodie) Hood. Curiously, she is listed as his “sister-inlaw” in the census rather than “half-sister”. Did Bodie purposely state it that way or did
the census taker make a mistake? The address written on the side of the census was
“Donson Way” and the dwelling number was 5626. The house shown here was built in
1900 and is at that address today. The census also stated her occupation as “Telephone
Operator”.
It would seem then that sometime between May 1929 and April 1930 she moved to
Pittsburgh and stayed with Bodie until she could afford her own apartment. Bodie and his
wife Ida had 5 children aged from 3 – 11 at the time of the census so if this is the house
and it appears to be, it would have been somewhat crowded with 8 people living there.
The first letter from her mother was dated November 30, 1930 and sent to 68 Gregory
Street in Pittsburgh. She had apparently moved to her own apartment after living with
Bodie and his family. The Gregory Street address was about 7 miles from where she lived
with them and is closer to downtown.
In this letter her mother is telling her not to buy anything for them for Christmas, but
rather to save her money “if you get sick or wanted to come home, you could”. This is a
recurrent theme in all of her mother’s letters. She must have missed her very much. But
apparently Mom had asked for pant and shirt sizes in her letter and from Grandma Belle’s
answer we learn something about the size of John Stanley and his son, Emmett. “Your dad
36:32 in pants and 16 in shirts. Emmett 29:32 in pants and 15 in shirts.”
Within a few months Mom moved again because the next letter dated May 24, 1931 was
addressed to 361 Melwood Street, Pittsburgh. It appears that Mom is homesick and is
asking Belle what she should do. Belle tells her that it is her decision, but she would like
her to come home. However, she says that she might get a job in Dayton or she might not,
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and that she (Mom) would not be satisfied unless she could work. But, her real advice is to
come back home and marry “some nice boy”.
A year later in a letter dated August 7, 1932 Mom has moved once more, this time to
6908 Hamilton Avenue in Pittsburgh. We learn in
this letter that a little boy belonging to Molly Fraley
has died. The parents called him “R. H.”. She also
tells Mom that “Myrt” (Myrtle is Mom’s half sister
from her father’s first marriage) is getting a divorce
from Jim” whom she calls a “dog”.
Then in October 1932 another letter from her
mother finds Mom at yet another address, 6335
Marchand Street, Pittsburgh. Belle is still imploring
her to marry a nice boy and settle down. She also
mentions receiving letters from Bodie, Ida and John. She is also worried sick about Bodie’s
work as an iron worker in a steel mill. And apparently, Mary Jordan never received an
answer from Mom, but the odds are that Mom never received her letter because of
moving apartments so often.
In November Mom received a letter from her brother Emmett. We learn that Mom had
apparently been seeing an artist but she hadn’t mentioned him recently in her letters and
Emmett wanted to know what happened. She was writing poetry because Emmett wrote
“As for your poetry, I want you to send me all you have in the next letter if possible. I like
to read poetry and yours has a peculiar appeal.” I remember that Mom’s favorite poet
was Emily Dickenson.
A year later in November 1933 Mom is still living at the Marchand Street address. Her
mother informs her that Frank Sexton was killed while trying to break into the apartment
of a man with whom his wife was having an affair. As mentioned earlier, her father’s first
wife was Edna Sexton and Frank was her maternal first cousin.
A month later Mom apparently told Belle that if she were to be laid off by the telephone
company that she would probably go to New York City to live. It appeared that news
didn’t sit well with Belle and once again she tried to have Mom come home to live with
her in Dayton.
Two months later Belle is giving Mom the latest news; “Mrs. Hall died and was buried this
morning and your dad went helped carry her to the graveyard across from our field.” She
reminds her that she was Mary Hall’s mother. Willie Hall came to fetch Grandpa John so
he could stay with Mr. Hall for company. Belle also writes that Eva Ralston was there,
“drunk as a dog”. There is also a reference to Mom’s Aunt Hassie (actually her half-aunt)
and her husband, Mark Sherman Ziegler having to sell some land. She also mentioned that
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“your Uncle John was up to see Mama last week …”. Uncle John is John Spencer Hood, son
of James Daniel Hood and Margaret Rebecca Emory, Belle’s mother and step-father.
In a December 19th letter Belle talked about sending a birthday present to her, but the
interesting thing in this letter was the fact that for the first and only time she mentioned
Mom having roommates. By June 1934 Mom moved again to 224 South Highland Avenue
in Pittsburgh. Her mother in a letter that same month asked her why she wanted to move
if it cost so much more. In fact, Mom had already moved by the time she received her
mother’s letter – it was forwarded from the Marchand Street address. This picture of the
same location today may or may not be the same building as where she lived.
From the way Belle wrote in a letter date December 15, 1934 it appeared that Mom was
home for Thanksgiving and had just left a few days before. The letter was addressed to
109 North Graham Street, Pittsburgh, so Mom had moved yet again in less than 6 months
at her last address. Belle mentioned that Mom leaving after her visit back home in Dayton
was very tough on Emmett. She also writes about the marriage of Grath Denton who
married a man by the name of Galant.
In letters during March 1935 they talked about exchanging pictures. This prompts Belle to
talk about her childhood when her mother used to make them work hard and if they
didn’t she would beat them with a stick and a club. No social workers in those days! Belle
also tells Mom that Mabel Ward married a “nice loocken” man and they only went out
together 2 or 3 times before marrying. Also, that there was a strike at the Cate factory in
Dayton and a picket line out in front.
In April of 1935 apparently Mom received a promotion at work and Belle is writing her to
tell her how proud she is of her. She says “I know you have got ambicion you never will
rest untill you git to the top and go over the top like the Boyes did in france it make me feel
Proud of you because I know you went there to Bilded up you Self and to help your
employes.” Belle also tells Mom that Roye Hall was found “dead in that big Ditch that goes
down by the haller clost wher Bottie and ida liven whey were first mearried.”
In July Belle tells her how John (her husband) went to the 4th of July picknick in his new
shirt and came home “dog drunk”. She states that tomorrow the 5th is her birthday and
that she will be 64 years old. This is the only evidence we have of Grandma Belle’s
birthday. There were no birth certificates in those days and no living relative knew her
birthday as of the date of this paper.
In a letter dated October 8, 1935, it sounds as if Mom was in some kind of convalescent
home by the name of “Shady Rest”. She tells her not to worry and that the time will pass
before she knows it. Grandma also tells Mom that Emmett would be coming home on
Saturday. Emmett had entered the U.S. Army on the 16th of September and apparently
was coming home on leave. Belle also tells Mom about Myrtle Denton (a neighbor’s
Page 40 of 69
daughter) having a baby girl; also, Katherine Jordan (sister to Mom’s best friend, Mary
Jordan) was living in Knoxville and was married to a nice man.
We learn from a letter dated November 2, 1935 that Mom had indeed been ill and it had
worried Grandma and she “went to pieces”. Later we find out that she had her tonsils
taken out and this was the reason that she was at “Shady Rest”. For the first time, we see
the name Paul mentioned as Belle says “let me tell you something baby if you don’t marry
Paul you ought to be ashamed. he has bin so good to you I love him a whole lot. he will be
good to you and that is all I care for.”
She is of course referring to my father, Paul Faustino Puente and apparently Mom took
her advice because they were married on 20 November 1935 in Oakland, Garrett County,
Maryland by Winfield Patterson, Minister of the Gospel, St. Pauls M.E. (Methodist
Episcopal) Church. Although they both were living in Pennsylvania, they went across the
border into Maryland to be married.
Seven months later in July 1936 a letter by Belle is sent to 357 Mitchell Avenue in Clairton,
Pennsylvania where Mom and Dad are living in their first home together. Clairton is
located on the west side of the Monongahela River, about 13 miles south of Pittsburgh.
My father worked at the steel mill which was one of the largest in the world at the time.
In October Mom apparently told Belle that they were considering buying their own home.
Therefore we can assume they were only renting the house on Mitchell Avenue. In this
same letter, Dad or Mom told Belle that they were buying a barrel of wine which didn’t go
down very well with Belle. She told them if they wanted something for colds, to buy some
quinine. Also, she said that if her friends came visiting and expected a glass of wine or
whiskey that they would be very disappointed. No wonder Grandpa did his drinking
outside of the house.
The letter dated November 3, 1936 was sent to 522 Park Avenue in Clairton so Mom and
Dad had moved. A week later in another letter she tells of how she voted straight ticket
(Democratic) in the election and that “Stanley”, as she refers to Grandpa voted also
straight ticket (Republican). She says “your dad sayes we have got a dictator for 4 more
years and that the U.S. will be bankrupt in that time and he will be glad to see it because
he said you couldin tell no boddy nothing they will just haft to go under a king and then
they will know.” Grandpa is referring to Roosevelt being reelected in 1936.
In a letter dated April 5, 1937 we learn that Emmett is living with Mom and Dad in Clairton
but has no job as yet. Since I was born on January 8, 1938 it is likely that I was conceived
the month this letter was written since it was exactly 9 months before my birth. This is
also the last letter for 14 years since the next letters in our possession begin on April 4,
1951. It is not known whether Mom and Belle stopped writing each other or whether
Mom never kept the letters.
Page 41 of 69
1938 to 1951
I will summarize the key events of my mother’s life in this section. To do more than this
would add considerable length to an already long family history.
As mentioned above, I was born on January 8, 1938 in a hospital in McKeesport, PA just
across the river from Clairton. Some 17 months later in 1939, Mom delivered her second
child, Isabel Cindy who became my baby sister. At the time of Cindy’s birth we were living
in a brick house in Pleasant Hills just northeast of Clairton. I am not sure but I believe that
my father built the house.
Over the next 5 years the family moved several times, but it is difficult to recall the order
of the homes from 1939 to 1944. Dad’s job with Koppers Construction Co. kept us moving
from place to place – Clairton – Pittsburgh – Massina, New York – Knoxville, Tennessee
and back again to Pittsburgh.
Page 42 of 69
Stanleys of Franklin County, Virginia
My search for the parents of Jonathan Stanley led me to a website by Judy Cardwell who
was studying the Stanleys of Virginia and North Carolina. Judy and her collaborators have
researched all known Stanley families in a number of counties in these two states. The
primary sources of their information are tax lists, marriage lists, and census. However, the
Virginia Censuses for 1790 and 1800 are lost and can never be replaced. But the early tax
records of the Virginia counties still survive and list all individuals charged with a tax. They
occasionally contain names of young men who were tithable, or taxable, much like a male
dependent of a household. Names of recently deceased individuals whose property was
still in estate can also be found. There are many clues in tax lists that suggest family
relationships that can not be found in the early censuses. Therefore these tax lists can be
used as an alternative census for the missing 1790 and 1800 Federal Censuses of Virginia.
Here is what we know with a high degree of certainty about the earlier life of Jonathan
Stanley:

Jonathan Stanley married Nancy Martin in Franklin county, Virginia on 22
December 1819. Surety was given by Jeremiah Bowles10.

We know that this Nancy Martin is the daughter of John “Potter” Martin of
Franklin county, Virginia because of a later law suit in Rhea County, TN filed by
Nancy and her brother contesting their father’s will.

We know that there is no other documented marriage between a Stanley and a
Martin during this time period in Franklin County.

We know that there is a connection between the Stanleys of Rhea county and
Franklin county because of a letter fragment found in a saddle bag.

In the 1880 Federal census, John L. Stanley reports that his father was born in
Virginia. Nancy indicated in the 1850 cenus that she was born in Virginia as well.

A
JoJonathan Standley is on the 1820 Franklin county census showing 1 male age 2645, 1 female age 16-26, shown here11. This is undoubtedly the Jonathan that
10
Marshall Wingfield, Marriage Bonds of Franklin County Virginia 1786-1858, Genealogical Publishing Co.
,Inc., page 215, Booker Mullins.
Page 43 of 69
married Nancy Martin. Having only been married in December 1819, there are no
children as yet and this is confirmed by the census. This census age groups would
place Jonathan’s birth year between 1775 – 1794 and Nancy’s birth year between
1794 – 1804.

There is no other Jonathan Stanley (Standley nor any other Stanley name variants)
in Franklin county in 1820 according to known tax lists, census, and marriage lists.
The following are facts that have connections to Jonathan but not all have been proven
conclusively, at least as they relate to his possible father:

A Jonathan Stanley shows up on the Franklin county tax lists of 1819, 1820, and
1821 with Buck (William IV) Stanley12. Typically, all related males of a family would
go together to meet with the tax collector on the same day to pay their tithes. This
would suggest that this Jonathan Stanley is either the son of Buck Stanley or
related to him in some other way.

William (IV) (Buck) Stanley is on the 1850 census of Franklin County, taken on 13
November 1850, and is listed as 85 years old, a farmer, and assets of $250. If this
census is accurate then his birth year would be about 1765.

A settlement map of Franklin County, Virginia which covers a period from 1786 –
1886 shows the name of the settler and the year he first appears in the land
records if it is known and available. William Stanley and James Martin appear on
this map not far from each other in an area southeast of Ferrum and north of
Henry, both small communities just north of Henry County. James Martin is
believed to be the grandfather of Jonathan’s future wife, Nancy Martin.

The settlement map also shows other Stanley and Martin families: Joshua Stanley,
Reuben Stanley, John Stanley, and William Martin in the far east of Franklin County
near the intersection of Bedford and Pittslyvania counties. It is not known how or if
these families are related to William Stanley or James Martin.

The will of William Stanley (IV) was probated on 21 May 1859. In the text he refers
to himself as: “I, William Stanley, Senr of Franklin County Virginia ….” See Appendix
5 for the full text. If he was 85 in 1850 then he died at age 94.
11
Note: the one (1) in the final column of the row indicates he was engaged in agriculture, i.e. a farmer. This
has sometimes been confused with a female head count).
12
Franklin County, Virginia tax lists 1804-1821, microfilm reel #121, searched by Marsha Stanley. Microfilm
from the Virginia State Library. Note: He is known as William IV Stanley to genealogists for the purpose of
differentiating him from the Williams that were his father, grandfather, etc.
Page 44 of 69

Jonathan is not on any Franklin Co., Va. tax lists or census after 1821.

Jonathan first shows up on the Franklin tax rolls in 1819. If he were a son of Buck
Stanley you would expect him to be 16 years old in 1819 (the age at which a male
is first counted as a tithe) and therefore, born in 1803. However, we see from the
male age group (26 – 45) in the 1820 Franklin county census that he was born
sometime between 1775 and 1794. There are two possible explanations for this
disparity in birth years:
o the census taker chose the wrong age group for him and he should have
instead been tallied in the 16 – 25 age group or,
o Jonathan was not the son of Buck, but rather a relative who arrived in
Franklin county in 1819 and lived with Buck and his family.

Let us examine each of these possibilities:
o If the census group of 26 – 45 is correct and Jonathan was born in 1794
(the year in which he would be the youngest) and he was a son of Buck
then he should have appeared on the tax list in 1810 at age 16. But, as
pointed out earlier he only shows up in 1819. Therefore, if the census
group for Jonathan is correct, then he was not the son of Buck, but rather a
relative who came to Franklin county in 1819.
o If the census group is incorrect and he should have been entered in the 16
– 25 age group then he would have been born in 1803 (1819 – 16 yrs) and
therefore could have been the son of Buck.
o However, that would mean that he was only 16 or 17 when he married
Nancy in December 1819 and that she might have been older than him
when they married. We know from the 1850 census of Meigs county, TN
that she was 50 in that year, ergo, born in 1800.
o Another explanation is that Buck simply didn’t declare all of his sons as
tithes when they became 16 years old. Even though at the county level in
Virginia the age at which white males were tithable was 16 years, at the
state level the age was 21. It would make more sense that Jonathan was 21
in 1819 when he first appeared on the tax list. Perhaps Buck simply used
age 21 to declare his sons as tithes. Although this is a bit of a stretch, it
would also explain why Richard (see next section), one of the other “sons”
showed up in 1818, only a year earlier than Jonathan. We know from the
1850 McMinn County, Tennessee census that he was 56 years old and
therefore born about 1794. Having said that however, in 1818 he would
Page 45 of 69
have been 24 and not 21. Considering the inaccuracies of census in general,
this is a tolerable variance.
o At this stage in the research, I will assume that the census taker 1820 was
correct in recording Jonathan’s age group and will focus on him being a
relative and not a son of Buck.

Another interesting piece of evidence about Jonathan’s early beginnings comes
from Harold M. Howser, Route 5, Box 174, Pikeville, Tennessee 37367-9044.
According to Mr. Howser, the Martins (John Martin, Nancy’s father) and his
relatives, the Howsers arrived in Tennessee around 1822 having first gone to
Kentucky “to try their luck there”.

Indeed, in the 1830 census of Rhea county we find the Martins and Howsers living
next door to each other:
Martin, Jno.
1111000001-0000000001
Howser, Jas. (Jos.?)
110001-011001

Additionally, we know that Jonathan’s first land grant was in 1825, therefore, it
can be concluded that the Martins and the Howsers left Franklin County in 1822
(before the tax list was prepared) and settled in Rhea County around 1824 – 1825.

One of the other “sons” of Buck Stanley referred to above was Richard who
showed up on the 1818 – 1821 tax lists, a year earlier than Jonathan. He married
Mary Ann “Polly” Howser on 28 November 1821. Like Jonathan, he no longer
shows up on the tax list in 1822. Assuming that Harold Howser’s story is accurate
then it is likely that Richard and his wife left Franklin with her parents, the
Howsers, along with Jonathan and his wife and the Martins.

Richard Stanley does not appear on the 1830 Rhea county census, but
interestingly, he does appear on the 1825 tax list of Franklin county, and each year
thereafter until 1841 and then shows up on the Henry county tax lists of 1842 –
1845. Note: Henry county is just to the south of Franklin county. It would appear
that Richard initially moved to Rhea and then decided to return to Franklin about
1825, or shortly before.

Richard Stanley next appears in McMinn county, Tennessee in the 1850 census,
23rd subdivision, household #832, age 56, born Virginia, with his wife Polly, age 48,
born Virginia.

There is also a land deed record for Richard Stanley in 1857:
Page 46 of 69
McMinn County, Tennessee Land Deeds - Deed Book M pg 85
168 - 6 Nov 1857 Richard Stanley of Meigs Co. to Martin Bunch.

There is an intriguing record in the Rhea County Court minutes 1829-34 p. 249
John Locke, Circuit Court Clerk. The court allowed $28.43, 1/2 for payment of costs
in case of state against Spills B. Dyer, and State against William Stanley. Edited and
transcribed by Bettye Broyles. Could Buck (William) Stanley have visited Jonathan during
this time period and got into some kind of trouble or legal dispute? There is no
William Stanley in the 1830 Rhea county census nor for that matter, in any
succeeding census.

The Houser/Howser cemetery is located on the north side of Plank Road about 6 ½
miles south east of Decatur and a short distance from Highway 58 south. It may
provide some clues about this family and it’s connection to the Martins.

Finally, there are two additional Stanley marriages that took place in Rhea County
during the 19th century but it has not been possible to link them to the
descendants of Jonathan Stanley. Polly Ann Stanley married George Ives on 2 Feb
1851 in Rhea County and Elizabeth Stanley married Marten Ives on 22 Jan 1852 in
Rhea County. We know from the 1850 census that George, born in 1827 and
Marten, born in 1822 are brothers. It is also likely that Elizabeth and Polly Ann are
sisters but no census shows them together. The two families can be found in 1860
in two different counties in Tennessee but nowhere else after that. Elizabeth and
Polly cannot be found in 1850 anywhere in Tennessee so it has not been able to
find their parents. One possibility is that they are the daughters of Richard and
Polly Ann Stanley but in 1850, there were no children in the household of Richard.
Franklin County Tax Lists 1817 – 1822 – Buck Stanley Family
1817
1818
1819
1820
1821
1822
Buck (William IV) – 3 polls
Buck
Buck – 3 polls
Buck – 2 polls
Buck
Buck
William Jr. (William III)
William
William Jr.
William Jr. – 2
William Jr.
William Jr.
Jr.
polls
Luke
Luke
Luke
Luke
Luke
Luke
Thomas
Thomas
Thomas
Thomas
Thomas
Thomas
John
John
John
John
William
William
William
William
Joseph
Joseph
Larkin
Larkin
John
William (Robert’s son?)
William
Joseph
Larkin
Larkin – 2
Larkin
Larkin
polls
William (William V)
Page 47 of 69
Richard
Richard
Richard
Richard
Jonathan
Jonathan
Jonathan
George
William Jr. in the above analysis is believed to be William IV (Buck)
Franklin County 1820 Federal Census - All Standleys
1786 Franklin County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List
Name
No.
Whites
Whites
Slaves
Slaves
Horses
Cattle
Tithes
Over 21
16-21
over 16
under 16
1
1
0
0
0
1
3
1
1
0
0
0
2
6
Stanley,
William
Stanley,
Richard
Letter in Saddle Bag
The following is the transcription of a fragment of an old letter that John Paul Stanley
found in the saddle bag that has been handed down through the generations:
" ..... the 27th 1860 Franklin co. Va ..... nephew, I recid, yours of the 2nd of the .....in
due time informing me of the death ..... Richard and others & was glad ..... to hear
from some of you were no more...... informed abouth the death of father, he .....
about 19 months ago, he was helpless ..... previous to his death. He spent all..... his
money prior to his death ..... off small parcels of that until ...... to a very few acres,
taking the ...... has deeded from the orginal ...... he says about 35 acres. This is ...... of
the old man when he died and ...... leaving this to us"
(......) indicating sections of the document that are unreadable.
We can make the following assumptions and hypotheses from this document:
Page 48 of 69
1. It is a follow-up letter from an uncle or aunt to a nephew;
2. the nephew had previously sent the uncle a letter on the 2nd, possibly the same
month;
3. the nephew was informing the aunt or uncle of the death of someone;
4. It can't be addressed to Jonathan because he had died by this date. It could have
been sent to John L. and was from one of Jonathan's brothers or sisters in Franklin
Co., VA;
5. the "father" the writer is referring to someone who died "about 19 months ago". If
Jonathan is related to this Virginia family, then his father or close relative is likely
William "Buck" Stanley (IV) who died 21 May 1859 in Franklin Co., VA. So if this is
true then the letter might have been written in December 1860;
6. one name "Richard" is mentioned. If it is the same family, Jonathan had a brother
named Richard;
7. "he was helpless...previous to his death" - sounds like the son (recipient’s uncle) is
describing his father, maybe he had a stroke, not unlikely, since Buck Stanley was
82 when he died;
8. and, it sounds like old Buck was selling his land before he died and he left only 35
acres to his heirs;
9. If John L. did send a letter to this aunt/uncle on the 2nd, it appears he was
informing them of the death of a person, but who? We know from the 1840
census that Nancy was the head of the household so Jonathan had died long
before this letter was written. Nancy was still alive in 1854 (law suit about her
father's will), but she does not appear on the 1860 census. Could she be the
person who died that John L. was writing about?
10. Buck Stanley's will was written on 20 Mar 1848 and was probated 21 May 1859 so
it is likely that he indeed did die in May 1859 or about 19 months before this letter
was received by John L.;
11. Richard is mentioned specifically in this letter. Richard along with Jonathan last
appears on the Franklin Co., VA tax list in 1821. Could Richard have left with
Jonathan when they moved to Kentucky and then on to Tennessee? Richard then
reappears on the Franklin Co., VA tax list (with his father, Buck) in 1825. Richard
appears for the first time on the tax lists in 1818, one year before Jonathan, so he
could have been Jonathan's older brother and decided to leave in 1822 when
Jonathan, Nancy, her father (and family), and the Howsers all left Virginia.
More research must be conducted before we can answer many of these questions and
how Jonathan may be related to the Stanleys in Franklin County, Virginia.
Family Land
The document transferring land from the family to John L. Stanley presents us with
information about some of the land holdings of the family and where we might locate
them on today’s maps.
Page 49 of 69
…….. to a tract of land, (in the State of Tennessee?) Meigs County and District No. 2 of
said county, containing 320 acres and known as the Northeast and Northwest
quarters of Section Six Fractional Township Three range four west of the meridian
Highawasse District.
The part of the document marked (?) is an educated guess. However, what information
we can glean from this document can be summarized as follows:
District 2
Meigs County
Section 6 (S6)
Fractional Township 3 (FT3)
Range Four West (R4W)
Northeast and Northwest Quarters (NE & NW)
Each quarter is 160 acres, ergo, total is 320 acres
West of Meridian (Highawasse (sic) District)
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) [see Appendix 2] was established in 1795 to replace
the British system of metes and bounds that
was used by the original colonies (including
their derivatives Maine, Vermont, Tennessee,
Kentucky and West Virginia. Although
Tennessee continued to use metes and
bounds for some time after the establishment
of the PLSS, some areas were surveyed using
this system.
A map of the Hiwassee District published in
1851 shows that the District was surveyed
using something close to the modern day
PLSS. A section of that map that I believe
relevant to the description in the old Stanley
document is shown here. Appendix 3 shows the entire map.
This diagram shows the basics of the PLSS system
A township is 36 square miles. Each township contains 36 sections, each 1 mile square
which is 640 acres. Since we know that the land sold to John L. was 320 acres, it was
therefore half of a section and that it was in Fractional Township (FT) 3 lying within Range
Page 50 of 69
4 West. The document states that it was the Northeast and Northwest Quarters (NE &
NW). Therefore the 1851 survey map was using the basics of the PLSS system.
There is no mention of a Base Line in the description, but it does state that the land was in
Range 4 West of the Principal Meridian which is a fundamental part of PLSS. (The meridian
is shown on the large map
in Appendix 3)
Since the original map
includes the counties of
Roane, Meigs, McMinn,
and Monroe we can rule
out a large section of the
survey map. The only
section that fits the
description in the land
deed that falls within
Meigs county is shown
here in red. It is clearly
marked as section 6 and
FT 3 meaning that it was
indeed a fractional section
with only 25 sections. It also clearly lies within column R 4 W which is Range 4 West.
Also of interest in this map, is an area (circled)
that is described as “R. Taylor’s Reserve”.
Richard Taylor was one of several Cherokee
Indians who remained in Meigs County. Most of
the Cherokee residents were removed as part
of the Trail of Tears in 1838, crossing the
Tennessee in Meigs County at Blythe's Ferry.
(just below the location of Jolly’s Island on the
map) A few Cherokee residents remained,
notably John Miller, Richard Taylor, Colonel
Gideon Morgan, and John Jolly.
Since there are no present day PLSS township
and section map overlays for Tennessee we
must use a little guesswork to position the half
section 6 of land on today’s maps. But,
considering the dominant topographical feature
of the two rivers at their juncture, we can
certainly locate the area fairly accurately.
Page 51 of 69
The TerraServer image shows section 6 with a red rectangle indicating the NW and NE
quarters of the section. To the top is fractional township 2 (FT2) with sections 30 and 31
shown. I have also drawn the approximate banks (in blue) of the Tennessee River before
the water rose to its current level.
Northwest corner of 6NW: 35.432107,-84.969163
Northeast corner of 6NE: 35.432246,-84.951396
Southwest corner of 6NW: 35.421651,-84.969335
Southeast corner of 6NE: 35.421825,-84.950838
Topographical maps give us more detail. They show the original boundaries (dotted lines)
of the Tennessee River before the TVA created the dams that flooded the land on either
side. Worth noting in the above topo map is Ziegler Slough. One of Belle Stanley’s half-
Page 52 of 69
sisters, Hassie married a Mark Ziegler. To the northeast of the land there is a small
cemetery (see below) right on the bank of the Chickamauga Lake just before crossing the
Culbert Bridge. It is there
that we could look for the
grave of Jonathan Stanley
or on the land itself. In
addition, at the end of this
peninsula of land is the
Sullivan
Cemetery
(35.46278 -84.97306). In all
probability the grave may
be unmarked, but it would
be worth investigating.
The following shows the top
of the peninsula of land
which is Section 24 of
Fractional Township 2,
Range 5W (S24 FT2-R5W)
and includes the cemetery
that may also be worth
investigating for the grave
of Jonathan Stanley. The old
Page 53 of 69
Armstrong Ferry (historical) was undoubtedly the means by which Jonathan and his family
went over the river to Smith’s Crossroads (present day Dayton) for supplies. It would have
been closer to their farm than the Blythe Ferry near Hiwassee Island, as well as a shorter
trip. However, there was an old community by the name of Cayuga Town (now under
water) down river from the Old Armstrong Ferry where they may possibly have gone for
supplies.
It would be interesting to ask the present day occupants of this land if they have any
knowledge of the Stanley family from 1852. This is a picture taken from Microsoft Live
Search with the 3 D bird’s eye map viewer plug-in of the present day houses in Section 6.
The road running past these houses is known by various names: Glen Charles Rd. Charles
Rd., Old Bunker Hill Rd., and is also designated CR-183.
The coordinates of the 3 buildings in the center of the picture are:
35.4262°N 84.9653°W (35.426109,-84.965805) (NAD83/WGS84)
Land Grants
Was the land described here part of the land grants that Jonathan received in 1825-6?
Considering the land grant document referred to earlier that states Range Four in Meigs
County and considering all the other evidence, it is likely that the two land grants were in
fact the land where the family lived. It should be noted that the term “grant” is rather
misleading, because it didn’t necessarily mean free land given (or granted) to the person,
but rather a term to denote the first private ownership of land. The Revolutionary War
Page 54 of 69
was the only war for which “bounty” (free) land was given to veterans with the State of
Tennessee.
It is known that the Hiwassee District was surveyed into townships and sections as shown
in the 1852 Map. Since the area was relatively free of squatters and was closed to the
North Carolina warrant holders, Tennessee had great expectations of revenue from the
sale of land there, but the economic depression which began in 1819 interfered. At first,
the land, except for the sections reserved for schools, was sold at auction at a minimum of
$2.00 an acre, with pre-emption rights granted to occupants at one-half that price. When
Congress in 1823 allowed Tennessee to sell land at less than national minimum price, the
legislature introduced a graduation system for the sale of the remaining lands in the
district. An occupant was given 6 months to purchase 160 acres for $1.25 an acre; then for
the next three months any one could buy the at that price. Subsequently, the price was
lowered to $1.00 an acre, then 50 cents, then 25 cents, and finally 12 ½ cents.
We know that Jonathan had two land grants of 160 acres each, one in March 1825 and
the other in May 1826. I could not find a price that Jonathan paid on the copy of the one
land grant that I have. Considering that the land started off at $1.25 an acre in 1823 and
his first grant was in 1825, I wonder if he paid 50 cents an acre or less based on the
descending price scale.
Neighbors of Jonathan Stanley
As is said in the rural south, “down the road apiece” from the 320 acres of land that was
plotted above, are some interesting roads.
As was already described, the youngest son of Jonathan was John L. Stanley and his first
wife was Nancy Johns, daughter of David Johns and Nancy Sykes. In the 1850 census there
were 3 Johns families living only a few farms away from Nancy and her children. Roads
were often created by the farmers to travel around their own land and subsequently were
named after them when the road network became larger. In the 1840 census, Nancy is
listed on the same census page as four Chattin families (see map for Chatton Springs Rd.).
Note: In the 1850 census the Chatton family name was spelled the same as the road is
today. Just to the northeast of Chatton Springs Rd. is the 320 acre plot of land.
Therefore, we can conclude with some certainty that the Stanley family lived in this area
of the Big Springs community during the first half of the 19th century.
The other connection to this small area of Meigs county comes a bit later in the 19th
century when Margaret Rebecca Hood, my great grandmother marries James Daniel
Hood. After their marriage they lived in Rhea County, but later moved to Ridge Road in
Meigs. We know this from the biography of Margaret Rebecca Hood, the mother of Mary
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Isabelle in The History of Meigs County, Tennessee and It's People 1836 – 1997 which
states that the family lived on Ridge Road in the Big Spring community. (see map below)
As mentioned before, Grandma Stanley had a child out of wedlock with a Mr. Powell.
There were Powells in the 1850 census listed as slave owners in Meigs County, and later
there were five Powell families listed in the 1870 census. It seems likely that Powell Road
was named after this family. And finally, we know that Margaret Hood and her husband
are both buried in the Good Hope cemetery on Armstrong Ferry Road. David and Nancy
Johns are both buried in Powell Cemetery.
Page 56 of 69
Appendix 1
History of Meigs Co., TN Biographies from The Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1887
William C. Godsey
William C. Godsey is a native of East Tennessee, and was born in Rhea County September
20, 1844. His parents were Stephen J. and Mary (Gibbons) Godsey. The father is a native
of Virginia, born in Scott County, about 1814, and died in Meigs County (where our subject
is now living), August, 1859. The mother was born in Hawkins county, Tenn., about 1812,
and is still living, a resident of Faulkner County, Ark. The parents were married in Hawkins
County, and soon after their marriage they moved to Grainger County, where they lied
three years; then came to Rhea County, and were citizens of the county nine years. In
1849 they came to Meigs County, and settled where our subject is now living, and here
the father died in 1857. The mother never re-married. About six years ago she went to
Arkansas, and makes her home with her youngest son.
Our subject is the fifth of seven children. He secured a good education in his youth. In his
boyhood he worked on his father's farm, and at eighteen years of age, in the fall of 1863,
he entered the Confederate States service, enlisting in Company I, Fifth Tennessee Cavalry
Regiment. W. W. Lillard was captain of the company, and G. W. McKenzie, colonel of the
regiment. The command was finally received into Gen. Wheeler's division, and remained
with this general the remainder of the war. Our subject took part in the battles of
Missionary Ridge, Chickamauga Creek, and all the battles from Chattanooga to Atlanta,
Ga. Our subject had a brother, John P. Godsey, killed near Atlanta. He returned home in
the spring of 1865, after an absence of over two years, and commenced farming.
In the fall of 1872 he purchased the old homestead, and since that date to the present has
given his attention exclusively to farming. In 1885 he built a unique and very attractive
residence at the cost of nearly $2,000. He now owns upward of 275 acres of land, and
three town lots in Dayton, one of them improved. On January 2, 1872, he was united in
marriage with Miss Mary J. Martin, born in Meigs County, July 26, 1854, the daughter of
Luke P. and Narcissus Martin (deceased). This union resulted in seven children - five sons
and two daughters; one son is dead. Our subject and wife are Baptists. In 1886, the home
of our subject was made into a post office, and named Maloney. They have a weekly mail
from Dayton to Big Springs.
Page 57 of 69
Appendix 2
The PLSS actually consists of a series of separate surveys. Most PLSS surveys begin at an
initial point, and townships are surveyed north, south, east, and west from that point. The
north-south line that runs through the initial point is a true meridian and is called the
Principal Meridian. There are 37 Principal Meridians, each is named, and these names are
used to distinguish the various surveys. The east-west line that runs through the initial
point is called a base line. This line is perpendicular to the Principal Meridian.
Source: Principal Meridians and Base Lines, Bureau of Land Management Each township
is identified with a township and range designation. Township designations indicate the
location north or south of the baseline, and range designations indicate the location east
or west of the Principal Meridian. For example, a township might be identified as
Township 7 North, Range 2 West, which would mean that it was in the 7th tier of
townships north of a baseline, and in the 2nd column of townships west of a baseline. A
legal land description of a section includes the State, Principal Meridian name, Township
and Range designations with directions, and the section number: Nebraska, Sixth Principal
Meridian T7N, R2W, sec5.
Page 58 of 69
While the original PLSS surveys were supposed to conform to official procedures, some
errors were made due either to honest mistakes or to fraudulent surveys. Existing surveys
are considered authoritative, and any new surveys must work from existing corners and
surveys, in spite of errors in the original surveys and variations from the ideal. This
sometimes results in sections that are far from square, or that contain well over or under
640 acres.
Appendix 3
Hiwassee District 1852
Page 59 of 69
Appendix 4
Rhea County, Tennessee – A Brief History
Formed by the general assembly on December 3, 1807, Rhea County came out of a
portion of Roane County. The new county was situated in a valley between the Tennessee
River and the Cumberland Plateau. Though enlarged in 1817, parts of the county were lost
in the formation of Hamilton County in 1817 and Meigs County in 1836.
Settlers began moving into this valley bottomland once Cherokees gave up claim to it in
1805. Thomas Moore, Joseph Brooks, and John Henry were the original commissioners
appointed to select a suitable place for holding court. They decided upon the home of
William Henry at Big Spring (north of present-day Dayton); the house served as the county
courthouse until October 1812.
In 1809 and in 1811 the general assembly appointed a commission to establish the town
of Washington as a county seat. After investigating several sites, Washington (now known
as Old Washington) was established in 1812 near the head of Spring Creek on land
donated by Judge David Campbell and Richard Green Waterhouse. Lots in the new town
were surveyed and sold on May 21 and 22, 1812. Contracts to construct the public
buildings were awarded to James C. Mitchell (courthouse), John Moore (jail), and Adam
W. Caldwell (stocks and pillory). By 1825 a new jail became a necessity, but it was not
completed until 1836. A new brick courthouse, designed by craftsman Thomas
Crutchfield, was completed in December 1832.
Washington, the center of political life in Rhea County, was also a thriving marketplace.
The town boasted ten stores, three taverns or hotels, a branch of the State Bank, a
newspaper (The Valley Freeman), several blacksmiths and cabinetmakers' shops, a turner
(lathe operator), several saddlery and harness shops, a tannery, and three large cotton
gins.
During these decades the population of the county began to increase, doubling with each
ten-year period--2,504 in 1810 to 4,215 in 1820 to 8,186 in 1830. In 1836 the county's
population declined due to the formation of Meigs County and the founding of
Chattanooga a few years later. By 1840 the population had dropped to 3,985, and by 1860
the county had gained only about 1,000 additional residents.
At the beginning of the Civil War, Rhea County had a population of 4,377 whites and 615
slaves. Although 435 men were between the ages of eighteen and forty-five (military age),
over 700 men served in the Confederate army and about 100 left the state to join the
Union army. Although no large-scale battles took place in Rhea County, the area was
constantly under pressure and minor skirmishes were common. Throughout the war
Page 60 of 69
troops from both armies crossed the county and the courthouse in Washington was used
as a headquarters by various officers in 1863.
During the mid-1880s the Cincinnati Southern Railway was constructed along the west
side of the Tennessee River, completely bypassing the county seat of Washington. This
lack of a railroad connection led to the decline of Washington; today it is only a small
country village.
As Washington dwindled in size, the town of Dayton, known until 1877-78 as Smith's Cross
Roads, rapidly emerged as a major manufacturing center. In 1883-84 English capitalists,
recognizing the wealth of coal, iron, and limestone in Rhea County, organized the Dayton
Iron and Coal Company, and a town soon began to grow. On March 14, 1885, the
residents voted to incorporate the town by a vote of 120 to 13. The first mayor was
Thomas N. L. Cunningham, and the first recorder was William B. Benson. By 1887 two
furnaces were in operation, each turning out approximately one hundred tons of pig iron
daily. This company offered employment for a large number of citizens and, along with
the railroad, encouraged the growth of Dayton through the turn of the century. In 1889
Rhea Countians voted to move the county seat from Washington to Dayton. The new jail
was completed in 1890 and the new brick courthouse, designed by W. Chamberlin & Co.
of Knoxville, in 1892.
Sulphur Springs (name changed to Rhea Springs in 1878), situated on the bank of Piney
River, was settled early in the county's existence. This resort area possessed "healing"
waters and a large hotel. The railroad bypassed the town, and it dwindled in size. The
construction of Watts Bar Dam was the final blow as Rhea Springs was inundated in 1941.
After the demise of Rhea Springs, Spring City, on the Cincinnati Southern Railroad line,
emerged as the important town in the northern portion of the county. Unlike most
railroad towns, Spring City continued to grow after the 1930s, due mostly to the impact of
Watts Bar Dam and, later, the nuclear steam plant.
Other railroad towns were Evansville, Graysville, Roddy (Prestonville), and Pinnine.
Settlements away from the railroad included Grandview, Paine Springs, Morgan Springs,
Ogdon, Morgantown, Salem, and Carp.
In 1925 Rhea County became internationally famous when the Scopes Trial was held in
Dayton. William Jennings Bryan served as prosecutor while Clarence S. Darrow argued for
the defense. Dayton teacher John Thomas Scopes was charged with teaching evolution in
violation of the Butler Act. The population of Dayton swelled from about 1,800 inhabitants
to about 5,000 at the height of the trial. After eight days, Scopes was found guilty and
fined one hundred dollars. The 1892 courthouse where the trial took place is still in use
and is a National Historic Landmark. Only five days after the end of the trial, Bryan died.
William Jennings Bryan College, founded in his honor, was first opened in 1930 and still
Page 61 of 69
operates today as Bryan College.
As of 2000, there were 28,400 residents of Rhea County. The TVA's Watts Bar facility
continues to be a major employer as are La-Z-Boy Recliners (2,500 workers), Robinson
Manufacturing Company (600 employees), Kayser-Roth Corporation (500 employees), and
Suburban Manufacturing Company (380 workers).
Appendix 5
Will of William Stanley, Senior of Franklin County, VA
In name of God Amen
I, William Stanley, Senr of Franklin County Virginia Being advance in years & caling [sic] to
mind that all flesh must die, have thought proper to dispose of my Worldly estate in the
following manner following (Viz). Item Ist After paying and contenting all my just and
lawful debts, My Will is that my three daughters namely Jane Goode, Susan Stanley, and
Olly [Olive] Stanley have two hundred and twenty acres of my land it being the tract
Whereon I am Now livein and Also all my household & kitchen fumiture and plantation
tools & utentials of all Description & my Stock of every kind for there just rite property
after my decese the said land to be sold by there Executors or Adms and equally divided
amongst my nearest relations And the ballance of my lands known as the upper tract I
Desire that Henry Page Adkenson son of Polly Adkenson have fifty acres of my aforesaid
upper tract at the upper end of sd tract. Item 2 And lastly I hereby nominate and appoint
Peter Smith Senr. of Henry Co., VA my whole and Sole Executor to transact all lawful
business after my Decease in my estate And I hereby publish and Declare This to be my
my last Will and Testament.
Two being all Others in presense of Witness. William (/) Stanley Senr. John H. Smith W.
M. (X) Smith
Probated 21 May 185913
Appendix 6
Letter from Grandma Belle Stanley to her daughter, Hazel Stanley written in 1953
This is one of a number of letters written by my grandmother, Mary Isabel Coke Hood to
her daughter, Hazel Rebecca Stanley Puente between 1930 and 1953. It is unique in many
13
"Will of William Standley Senr.," Virginia State Archives, Richmond, Va.
Page 62 of 69
ways and is singled out here for the information it contains about the family and also
because it was the last known letter that was kept by my mother.
Note: Belle never used any punctuation whatsoever in her letters. I have transcribed this
letter as she wrote it except to add periods at the end of sentences and an occasional
comma for readability. The spelling and capitalization or lack thereof is entirely hers.
***********
Dear baby, i received your letter yesterday. so glad to git it. i think Sometimes thay have all
fargotten us but Mabby not. well we can git about yet. your Dad is stout if he diden have
spelles with his glanes. has to have his watter drowed Sometimes. except far that he would
be ok. Well Babby if you would like to com Home one more time why Dont you. i Shure
Would be Proud to see you for dont do like I did. i only went Home once a year and just
Stayed 2 night. thought i coulden aford it. i had to help you children git Boock and clothes
and something to eat. if i diden you all coulden go to school. i wanted to do all i could so
that you and the rest woulden haft to work lik i did but now I wish I had of Went to see the
old folkes more. i went one Sunday this Summer and Mama grave is wher i regreted it. i
said Hello Mama. i got no answer. always when i went to See her in her lifetime she would
say, why Belle have you come at last and kiss me. She was the onley one that was Proud to
see me. i mean from the Hart. it had bin 10 years since i was at her grave. i Went By the
old home to See it. it had bin 16 hears sence i had bin thare. that was when she died. so
come if you can. i want to see the baby and all of you. Well, let me tell you the newes.
Emmitt and Lillien has got religion and she has join the Babties church and he is a going to.
i am so glad for he Would go that old night club and throw a Way $200 dolares at a time.
it kept me scard to death all the time and Jonie Paule is a going to chool. i think he is
learning Some, and ida lee has got her a Boy. She has Started out with Boyes and (--------)
has a boy Johney come to see las Sunday and Beckeyann was hear a few Sundays a go. she
loock so old. i guess Bottie will be hear before long. i dont ida all of her children is married
and it keep her Bissy a goen from house to house. Well, i love you all and want to see you.
tell the children i ant forgot them yet and isibelle, oh how i Love her. she take her Push
after me. so Write soon.
Mother.
***********
Remarks
The letter was not dated and there was no envelope attached. I have calculated that it
was written in 1953 based on the information that Grandma Belle gave in the letter. She
said that her mother died 16 years ago and we know that great grandma, Margaret
Rebecca Emory Hood died 28 October 1937.
Page 63 of 69
This is a very touching letter because my mother would never see her mother or father
again. Her father, John B. Stanley died two years later on 13 Feb 1955 and her mother on
17 May 1957. It appears that Grandma Belle was once again trying to lay on a little guilt
with the story about her not visiting her own mother very often when she was alive.
When she said that she went by the old home to see it, she was referring to the home
that her mother and step-father, James Daniel Hood lived in on Ridge Road in Meigs
County, just across the river from Blythe Ferry. She also says “i want to see the baby”, and
here she is referring to my sister, Martha Louise who was about 4 years old at the time
the letter was written.
There is an interesting comment about her son Emmett and his wife Lillian. Apparently,
Emmett was a real hell raiser when he was younger and drank to excess. After he and
Lillian were baptized into the Garrison Baptist Church, I guess Emmett “got religion” and
stopped drinking. Jonie/Johney Paule is John Paul Stanley, the son of Emmett and Lillian
who was born in 1945 and would have been about 8 at the time this letter was written.
Belle doesn’t mention their other child, Linda Joyce Stanley who was born in 1948.
Bottie is her illegitimate son, James M. Hood who was also known as Bodie Hood. His wife
was Ida Potter and one of their children that is referred to in the letter as Ida Lee was
born about 1927. She was the last of 5 children and apparently all are married by the date
of this letter and that is why Belle mentions Ida “keeping busy going from house to
house”. She also mentions Becky Ann, her half-sister, Anna Rebecca Hood who was known
in the family as Aunt Becky. Belle commented that she looked so old and indeed she was
74 years old in 1953 and had had 7 children. She and her husband, Casual Harmon
Johnson also lived in the Big Springs community in Meigs County close to her parents
home.
The final comment in the letter gives us a little glimpse into the personality of Grandma
Belle and her granddaughter, Isabel. She states “oh how i Love her. she take her Push after
me”. I believe that Grandma’s use of the term “Push” means that Grandma was a very
strong willed person as is my sister today.
Appendix 7
The Sexton Family of Rhea County, Tennessee
The first wife of my grandfather, John B. Stanley was Edna Sexton. The following is
ongoing research into the her family and ancestry.
Census and other vital documents have revealed the following individuals and families.
This research effort is an attempt to establish relationships among the individuals or to
create hypotheses that could lead to definitive relationships. The earliest known members
of the Sexton family in Rhea County areTolliver and Rebecca Sexton.
Page 64 of 69





Toliver and Rebecca Sexton
Polly Sexton
Holly (Hollie) Sexton
o James A. Sexton
o Mary Ann Sexton
 James Polk Sexton (well documented, not researched here)
 Tennessee Sexton
 Edna Sexton
 Nancy A. Sexton
 Ida Alice Sexton
 Frank Sexton
Elizabeth Sexton
o John S. Sexton
o William Sexton
o John Milo Sexton
Eliza McGuire
 (Elizabeth Sexton marriage to James Bryant, 9 July 1833)
 (Mahala Sexton marriage to William Gross, 5 Dec 1833)
 (Rebecca Sexton marriage to Jacob Wees, 12 Apr 1833
 (Lewis Sexton marriage to Jane Tims, 28 Jul 1870)
 (John M. Sexton marriage to Nancy J Couch, 28 Jan 1876)
 (J. P. Sexton marriage to N. J. Swafford, 31 Oct 1879)
 (J. P. Sexton marriage to Martha E. Swafford, 16 May 1886)
 (Alice Sexton marriage to J. B. Ward, 8 Sept 1895)
 (Ellen Sexton marriage to J. F. Davis, 12 Sep 1896)
 (Nannie Sexton marriage to William Arrants, 20 Jan 1896)
 (Edna Sexton marriage to James Henderson, 4 May 1905)

Toliver and Rebecca Sexton




Both the 1850 census indicates that Toliver and Rebecca were both born in South
Carolina. The 1860 census indicates Toliver was born in South Carolina and
Rebecca in Tennessee.
Rebecca’s maiden name is not known.
There are two possible individuals in early South Carolina census that could be
Toliver. [Saxon, Toliver SC, Anderson Co., 1830, p. 175, Saxon, Toliver SC, Anderson
Co., 1840, p. 098]
Polly Sexton, age 32, born in South Carolina was found in the 1850 census but not
in 1860.
Working hypothesis:
Page 65 of 69
Because Toliver and Rebecca show up on the same census pages or even next door to
Holly, Elizabeth and Eliza McGuire it is believed that they are the parents of at least
Elizabeth and Eliza McGuire. Because of the erratic nature of Holly’s reported birth years
she could be either a daughter or a sister of Toliver. Other evidence will be shown in
specific cases below.
Eliza McGuire Sexton






Born about 1820 in Tennessee
Eliza McGuire, age 57 in the 1880 census indicates that both her parents were
born in South Carolina.
The McGuires are listed next door to Toliver and Rebecca on page 1 of the census.
Two of Eliza’s children have the name of Toliver and Rebecca. (In 1850, Rebecca J.,
3, TN, Toliver L, 6 mos., TN)
Her son, (Toliver) Louis McGuire states in the 1880 census that his mother was
born in South Carolina.
In 1860 two of Eliza’s daughters, Sarah M., age 14 (5 in 1850) and Martha E., age 8
(28 in 1880) are living with Toliver and Rebecca Sexton.
Working hypothesis:
Eliza McGuire is actually Eliza Sexton, a daughter of Toliver and Rebecca and was born in
South Carolina in about 1821. She married Elijah McGuire in about 1844 and their first
child, Sarah was born about 1845, followed by Rebecca in 1847, and Toliver L. in 1849.
Hollie Sexton and Polly Sexton






The History of Rhea County quotes the 1850 census which indicates Hollie was
born about 1802 in Georgia. However in the 1860 census her birth year was given
as 1812, in 1870 it was 1797, and she doesn’t appear in the 1880 census. If she is
the daughter of Toliver and Rebecca and assuming their birth years are reasonably
correct then she could not have been born in 1802 or 1797 but she could have
been their daughter if she was born in 1812.
If her birth year was either 1797 or 1802 she could be the sister of Toliver.
In only 1850 does she state she was born in GA.
In the 1870 census Mary Ann states that her mother was born in GA.
Polly Sexton born in South Carolina according to the 1850 census and living with
Toliver and Rebecca Sexton.
If Holly was the daughter of Toliver then the parents naming convention of “Holly”
and “Polly” fits.
Working hypothesis:
Holly is the daughter of Toliver and Rebecca. Her first child, James was 13 in 1850 (b.
1837) and 19 in 1860 (1841). If we assume that 13 was the more accurate age, i.e., closer
Page 66 of 69
to his actual birth, then Holly, assuming a birth year of 1812 would have been 24 when
James was born. If she was born in 1802 then she would have given birth to James when
she was 34. It seems more likely that he was born when she was younger rather than
older.
Polly is likely the unmarried daughter of Toliver and Rebecca since she is living with them
and was also born in South Carolina.
Major questions:
Why does Holly have the last name of Sexton if she was married? Did she have both
children out of wedlock? Could her husband also have had the last name of Sexton and
was not related or perhaps a first or second cousin?
Elizabeth Sexton







Elizabeth had two sons, William and John Milo Sexton.
John M. Sexton, age 2 in 1850 was in the household of Eliza McGuire.
John Milo Sexton’s death record indicates that his father was John Milo Sexton and
his mother was Betty Neek.
Betty is a nickname for Elizabeth.
John Milo Sexton, Sr. could be a brother to Holly and Polly.
In the 1880 census Elizabeth states she was born in Georgia. In all the other census
she indicates Tennessee. William, divorced, is living with her in 1880 and he states
that his mother was born in North Carolina. (grrrrr……).
Working hypothesis:
Elizabeth Sexton is actually Elizabeth “Betty” Neek who married John Milo Sexton. He
either died or left the family and she retained his name of Sexton. It is likely that John
Milo Sexton (Sr.) is the brother of Holly but no evidence of his existence has yet been
found other than John Milo, (Jr.’s) death record. If Holly was born in 1812 then John Milo
would be her brother. If she was born in 1797 or 1802 then he could be her son (or
brother as well).
Speculation: In 1850 John M. Sexton was being cared for by her sister-in-law, Eliza
McGuire because Elizabeth had two other sons and didn’t have time for a young baby.
Mary Ann Sexton



Given the fact that Mary Ann was in the 1850 and 1860 census households of Holly
it seems reasonable to conclude that she is Holly’s daughter.
She was about 16 or 17 when James Polk was born.
Page 67 of 69


No marriage record found to date. If she did marry it would have been about 1857
or 1858 given James Polk age in 1860.
The 1880 census indicates that she and her two daughters could neither read nor
write. James Polk indicates that he can.
Working hypothesis:
Mary Ann was not married when her first child, James Polk was born. She was living with
her mother in the 1860 census, no male in the household and only one child, James Polk,
age 2. No father can be found for any of the three children and therefore it is logical to
conclude at this stage of research that all her children were born out of wedlock.
A family story suggests that the husband of Mary Ann left to fight in the Civil War and had
died while fighting because he never returned. His grandson, Patrick Kerney Sexton was
quoted as saying that “the family would never speak about his unnamed grandfather
because he had left them to suffer in hard times”. The Civil War did not begin until April
12, 1861 and the Confederate Army was not even formed by that date. The recruitment of
men did not begin until after the succession of Tennessee in June. Since Mary Ann was
already living with her mother in 1860 (census on 12 June 1860) and the Civil War had not
yet been declared, it is likely that this story is false. It is very possible that Mary Ann
created this story to cover up the fact that she had no husband.
Additional Research
Mary Sexton
There is a family in Meigs County in 1860 that looks interesting because of the date and
place of birth of the head of the household. Another daughter or sister of Toliver???
Name
Mary Sexton
Prescovia Sexton
Leama Sexton
Sennepee Sexton
Age
52, SC
15, TN
15, TN
13, TN
John Milo Sexton
There is a Milo Sexton in the 1891 Tennessee census living in Meigs County. John Milo
Sexton was in Rhea in 1880 and had moved to Hamilton in 1900. Could this be the father
or John Milo himself???
Milo Sexton
State: TN
County:
Meigs County
Township:
Dist. 2 Male Voters
Year: 1891
Page 68 of 69
Page: 187
Database:
TN 1891 Voters List
James (Jim) Lyles
There is a James T. Lyles in the 1880 Meigs County census. No other connection of any
James or Jim Lyles to Tenie has been found to date.
Name
Age
Stephen Lyles
52, NC
Malinda Lyles
40, TN
James T. Lyles
13, TN
John Lyles
7, TN
Tennessee Sexton
There is a record of a Tennie V. Sexton dying of liver cancer on 5 Feb 1923 in the City
Hospital of Nashville, TN. No birthdate, mother's name or father's name was given. She
was described as white, widowed and about 73 years old. She was buried in Mt Calvary
Cemetery.
Page 69 of 69

The Stanley Family

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